Disney+ exceeds 86m subs
The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) has announced a huge expansion of its direct-to-consumer (D2C) services having surpassed 86 million paid subscriptions to Disney+.
TWDC revealed the ambitious next steps in its global streaming business at its 2020 Investor Day yesterday, with new details on the future of D2C services Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, a first look at its forthcoming international general entertainment content brand, Star, and previews of its slate of new content.
The move comes after it spent most of 2020 restructuring its media and entertainment businesses to accelerate its D2C push following the successful launch of Disney+.
The Mouse House said the latest subscription numbers have “shattered” its expectations for the streamer, which it had initially hoped would reach between 60 million and 90 million subs by 2024.
The media giant now has more than 137 million subscriptions worldwide across its D2C services, which also include ESPN+ (11.5 million subs) and Hulu (38.8 million).
TWDC expects its streaming services to hit 300 to 350 million total subscriptions by 2024, driven primarily by “a significant increase in content output,” details of which it unveiled yesterday.
Disney+ alone is aiming to release more than 100 titles per year, with significant expansion of its Star Wars and Marvel franchises, plus a slate of content from other brands Disney, Pixar and National Geographic.
Beginning on March 26, 2021, Disney+ will have its price increased by US$1 in the US to US$7.99 per month, or US$79.99 per year, while the Disney Bundle with Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ will be priced at US$13.99 per month.
In addition, standalone streaming service Star+ will launch in Latin America in June 2021, featuring both general entertainment content and live sports for under US$7.50 per month.
This follows the launch of Disney+ Hotstar in India and Indonesia, while Star will also be included as part of Disney+ in select international markets, including in Europe, Australia New Zealand and Canada on February 23 next year.
Disney+ will continue its global roll-out, now with Star, in new markets, beginning with Singapore on February 23, followed by Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea later in 2021.
The Star brand will serve as home to thousands of hours of television and movies from Disney’s creative studios, including Disney Television Studios, FX, 20th Century Studios and 20th Television, plus the addition of local programming from the regions where available.
“The tremendous success we have achieved across our unique portfolio of streaming services, with more than 137 million subscriptions worldwide, has bolstered our confidence in our acceleration toward a D2C-first business model,” said Bob Chapek, CEO of TWDC.
“With our amazing creative teams and our ever-growing collection of the high-quality branded entertainment that consumers want, we believe we are incredibly well positioned to achieve our long-term goals.”
Bob Iger, executive chairman and chairman of the board, led the virtual event by unveiling some of the new Star Wars and Marvel programming set for Disney+. Full details of the programming are available here.
Over the next few years, Disney+ plans to release about 10 Star Wars series and 10 Marvel series, as well as 15 Disney live-action, Disney Animation and Pixar series, as well as 15 Disney live-action, Disney Animation and Pixar features.
These come in addition to the premium content set to premiere in theatres or on linear channels before coming to the streaming service.
Additional new Star Wars titles announced for Disney+ include Andor, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Visions, Lando, The Acolyte and A Droid Story.
Meanwhile, the next feature film in the Star Wars franchise, to be released in December 2023, will be Rogue Squadron, directed by Patty Jenkins of the Wonder Woman franchise.
The next instalment of the Indiana Jones franchise, directed by James Mangold; a Star Wars feature film by writer/director Taika Waititi; and Children of Blood & Bone, based on Tomi Adeyemi’s New York Times bestselling novel, round out the feature film slate.
Among dozens of upcoming Marvel projects, three new series for Disney+ were revealed, including the Samuel L Jackson-starrer Secret Invasion, Ironheart with Dominique Thorne as a genius inventor and Armor Wars, starring Don Cheadle.
The Kardashian Jenners will also be creating new content under a multi-year deal with TWDC, to stream exclusively on Hulu in the US and internationally on Star, with an expected debut in late 2021.
Although Disney+ has so far been a resounding success for the Mouse House, TWDC continues to be hit overall by the pandemic, with its theme parks and other key areas of its global business suffering.
Last month, TWDC estimated the net adverse impact of Covid-19 on its current quarter and full-year segment operating income across all of its businesses would be about US$3.1bn and US$7.4bn respectively, including parks, experiences and products.
LIVE FROM: ANNECY
