The subscriber growth for Disney+ has apparently slowed significantly during 2021. Disney last reported surpassing 103.6 million subscribers in March, which was short of Bloomberg’s expectations. According to internal data obtained by The Information , the streaming service hit 110 million subscribers this month.
There are currently 38 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, which is only 1 million more than six months ago. In the same time frame, 12 million new subscribers have joined from India. A Disney spokesperson stated this analysis contained “factual inaccuracies and does not reflect the performance of the service” but did not provide further data to The Information.
India is now Disney+’s biggest market, but the streaming service only costs 45 cents per month in India compared to the $7.99 per month in the United States. The Information attributes the growth’s plateau partially to the $1 price rise in March.
They also see a gap in original content compared to other streaming services. While Disney+ has had a few big hits, particularly with The Mandalorian and this year’s Marvel shows, it is mostly old movies and TV shows. Films originally meant to release solely in theaters don’t seem to be making the splash Disney expected either.
Last year, Disney predicted that Disney+ would reach between 230 million and 260 million subscribers by September 2024. This goal is possible, but the service would need to maintain its current growth since launching in November 2019.
Source: Fast Company and The Information
