Disney topped 100 million U.S. subscribers to its streaming services for the first time in early Q4 2021, according to new data from Ampere Analysis. By the end of this quarter (ending Dec. 31), the “Disney bundle,” i.e., Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, will further boost customer numbers.
Disney ended the third quarter with 179 million SVOD subs globally.
Disney topped 50 million U.S. subs in Q4 2019 following the launch of Disney+, and two years later hit 100 million, with both Hulu and Disney+ on track to finish the year in excess of 40 million subs.
ESPN+ is expected to finish 2021 with more than 20 million subs, nearly six times more than at the end of Q3 2019, before the launch of Disney+. Ampere estimates that the domestic client base of the three services will reach around 108 million subs by the end of the year, up from around 99 million at the end of Q3 2021.
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“A strong content portfolio from Disney+ and Hulu, making the most of its key Marvel and Star Wars franchises (on Disney+) and FX (on Hulu), as well as the continuation of live sports (on ESPN+) has further driven subscription growth this year,” Toby Holleran, research manager at Ampere, said in a statement.
Holleran said the strategy to incorporate Disney+ and ESPN+ subs — alongside Hulu — with Hulu online TV will further push the domestic sub base to around 108 million by the end of the year.
With media reports suggesting NBCUniversal is considering moving its content from Hulu to the Peacock streaming service in 2022, Holleran said Disney could still grow subs.
“The combination of attractive bundled pricing, alongside a strong slate of original content scheduled for release in 2022 across Disney+ and Hulu, [we] expect the combined suite to experience growth beyond 2021,” he said.