Disney Plus Statistics & Trends for 2023 (2024)

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The demand for video streaming services has skyrocketed in recent years, and giants like Disney Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Prime are taking the streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) market by storm. All of these platforms are releasing both original content and old favorites for us to enjoy.

For Disney Plus, the success story began just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Launched in November 2019 in the US, it reached 10 million subscribers within 24 hours. Since then, it’s been expanding to other countries, and the number of subscribers has been growing rapidly.

Given this, it’s clear that Disney Plus is a very important player in the SVOD market, and marketers should be paying attention to its success. In this article, we’ll take a look at who Disney Plus subscribers are, the most popular Disney Plus content, the company’s financial performance, and future trends. Let’s dive in.

Key Disney Plus Statistics & Trends for 2023

In Q4 2022, Disney Plus had 164.2 million total subscribers – the highest number to date.
As of Q1 2023, Disney Plus had 46.3 million subscribers in the US and Canada – over a third of its overall subscriber count.
In 2021, children and teenagers aged 17 and under made up over 40% of all Disney Plus users.
89% of Disney Plus content, both TV shows and movies, is exclusive to the SVOD service.
In 2022, Disney Plus spent $33 billion on content –almost double Netflix’s $17 billion.
Disney Plus’ total revenue for 2022 was $55 billion, an 8% increase from 2021 total Disney Plus revenue of $50.87 billion.
The global Disney Plus ARPU for fiscal Q2 2023 was $4.44, 13% higher than the $3.93 fiscal Q1 figure.

Disney+ Subscriber Statistics

Disney Plus subscribers pay a monthly or annual fee to enjoy the platform’s content. In this section, we’ll take a look at Disney Plus subscriber numbers and demographics around the world.

Total Subscribers

Source: Statista

Disney Plus subscriber numbers grew steadily from its launch to Q4 2022. In that quarter, the service had 164.2 million total subscribers – the highest number to date.

However, from Q1 2023 onwards, the number of subscribers began to decline, dropping to 161.8 million in that quarter and to 157.8 million in Q2. A big reason for this is Disney Plus’ Indian service Hotstar losing the rights to stream Indian Premier League cricket matches in 2022.

Disney Plus price increases may also have been a factor – but they’re also driving revenue increases, of course, which we’ll look into later.

Monthly vs. Annual Subscriptions

Source: Marketsplash

Disney Plus offers monthly and annual subscription options. More than 80% of subscribers prefer the flexibility of the monthly plan. That’s been the case since Q4 of 2020.

However, it remains to be seen whether the trend will continue with the increasing uptake of the service’s budget-friendly, ad-supported tier, and upcoming price increases.

Regional Subscriber Statistics

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Disney Plus is available in over 150 countries and territories in the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and APAC.

We’ll now take a look at Disney Plus subscriber statistics by region.

North America

Source: Statista

United Kingdom

Source: Statista

Disney Plus launched in the UKat the end of the first quarter of 2020 – just as the country was plunged into the COVID-19 pandemic. By Q2 2021, the streaming service had 4.8 million UK subscribers and had reached 7.28 million by Q4 2022.

According to the Ofcom report for 2021-2022 on UK media consumption trends, 67% of UK households had a Netflix or a Disney Plus subscription by Q2 2022, with 23% of all UK households subscribing to Disney Plus.

Most of these subscribers (80%) also had a Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription, or both. The recorded level of satisfaction with Disney Plus in the UK is high – as high as 81%, which is on par with Amazon Prime.

Europe

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When it comes to the rest of Europe, Disney Plus is popular in the Nordic countries, as you can see from the chart above. For example, in Denmark and Sweden, Disney Plus usage went up by 5 and 7% in 2021from 24% and 22% in 2020, respectively. And in Finland, the number of subscribers grew by 10% in 2021.

Disney Plus has also been gaining popularity in other European countries since its launch. For example, 33% of video streaming fans in Germanywere using it in 2021, compared to only 19% in 2020. And in Poland, the number of Disney Plus reached 4.4 million in November 2022, although it dropped to 3.8 million in June 2023.

Subscriber Demographics

Source: Statista

It’s no surprise that the biggest Disney Plus demographic by age group is the younger cohort of children and teenagers under 17. In 2021, they made up over 40% of all Disney Plus users.

They’re followed by Gen Z and Millennials (people aged 18-34), who made up 25% of Disney Plus subscribers. 16% of Gen Z and 19% of millennials were found to be using Disney Plus at least a few times per week, and 9% used it daily.

In terms of gender, men in the US tend to watch Disney Plus more frequently than women. According to a study by Demand Sage, men make up 55% of Disney Plus users, and women 45%.

Meanwhile, 6% of men watch Disney Plus daily, and 14% a few times per week. For women, the same figures are 4% and 12%, respectively.

And regarding racial demographics, Nielsen found that as of 2021, 69% of Disney Plus US users were white. The second-biggest group of Disney Plus streamers were Hispanics, who made up 17%, while Black users made up 10%.

Disney+ Downloads Statistics

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In terms of downloads, Disney Plus is one of the most popular entertainment apps worldwide, receiving 100 million downloads between Q1 and Q3 2021. To compare, Netflix was downloaded 130 million times and Amazon Prime 94 million times in this period.

In 2022, Disney Plus was downloaded 147 million times, making it the fourth-most popular entertainment app after TikTok (672 million), Netflix (165 million), and YouTube (154 million).

The US had the most Disney Plus downloads in 2020-2021. Most Australian and Dutch downloads were under a million per quarter, and Japan’s peak periodfor Disney Plus downloads was September 2022, whichsaw over 655,000 downloads.

Disney+ Content Statistics

Source: Statista

The majority of Disney Plus content is family-focused, and kids-oriented content makes up a quarter of it – which is reflected by the fact that the service’s top demographic is under 18.

Total & Most Popular Content

Source: Variety Intelligence Platform

When the most popular Disney Plus series for 2022 were revealed, The Simpsons took the top spot. Given its 34-season run, it resonates with audiences of all ages and both newcomers and older fans.

Other popular titles included Gravity Falls, Bluey, The Owl House, and Star Wars spin-offs Andor and The Mandalorian. The latter was streamed for 14.5 billion minutes, as of May 2022. And in terms of Disney Plus movies, Star Wars, Moana, and Guardians of the Galaxy remain popular franchises.

According to Ofcom, the most popular Disney Plus programs in the UK in Q1 2022 were The Book of Boba Fett, Moon Knight, and Pam and Tommy, which reached 3.6 million viewers, 1.2 million viewers, and 1.1 million viewers, respectively.

Despite the popularity of these titles, however, all the top ten SVOD shows of 2022were Netflix shows. The only Disney Plus show in the top 15 was The Simpsons.

Disney+ Exclusive Content Statistics

Source: Reelgood

According to a study by Reelgood, 89% of Disney Plus content (including both TV shows and movies) is exclusive to the SVOD service.

To compare, Netflix’s percentage of exclusive content is 83%, and HBO’s is 72%. Examples of Disney Plus original content include Monsters at Work, Hocus Pocus 2, and Wandavision.

Disney+ Content Accolades Statistics

Source: Statista

Compared to HBO and Netflix, Disney Plus content has won relatively few Emmy Awards. Emmy-winning titles for 2022 included The Beatles: Get Back, The Book of Boba Fett, and What If…

In 2023, however, several Disney Plus shows received Emmy nominations. These shows included The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Dancing with the Stars, and Ms. Marvel. And it’s apparent that the Star Wars franchise isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Disney+ Content Spending Statistics

Source: Statista

Despite having less viewed content than Netflix, Disney Plus certainly spends a lot more on it. In 2022, it spent $33 billion – almost double Netflix’s $17 billion spending.

And in 2023, Disney is expected to spend more on original content than any other content company –over $10.5 billion, to be precise. To compare, Netflix’s projected content spending for 2023 is $7.2 billion, and Amazon’s is $4.5 billion.

Disney+ Revenue Statistics

Source: Statista

The Walt Disney Company is one of the most valuable companies in the world, and Disney Plus is a big part of this. In this section, we’ll take a look at the revenue statistics over time for the company’s Disney Plus segment.

Total Revenue Over Time

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The company’s financial reports group Disney Plus revenue in the “Media and Entertainment” revenue segment. According to these reports, Disney Plus’ total revenue for 2022 was $55 billion. This amounts to an 8% increase from the 2021 total Disney Plus revenue, which was $50.87 billion.

The revenue for The Walt Disney Company’s media and entertainment segment has seen fluctuations. As of today, Disney Plus’s most successful quarter was fiscal Q1 2023, when the division made $14.776 billion.

ARPU Statistics

Source: Statista

The global Disney Plus Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for fiscal Q2 2023 was $4.44, 13% higher than the fiscal Q1 figure of $3.93.

However, according to the company’s financial reports, the ARPU for US and Canada users was higher in fiscal Q2, amounting to $7.14 per user. This figure is 20% higher than that of fiscal Q1, when the US and Canada ARPU was $5.95.

Outside North America, the Disney Plus ARPU in Q2 2023 was $5.93. This amounts to a 6% increase on the $5.62 figure of the previous quarter.

Ad Revenue Statistics

Source: Statista

In 2022, Disney Plus announced the introduction of a budget-friendly, ad-supported pricing tier. At the time, it already had 100 advertisers signed up. It was predicted in 2022 that Disney Plus ad revenue would surpass Netflix’s by almost $900 million by 2024.

Today, studies estimate that this ad-supported tier will help Disney Plus generate more revenue than ever. The estimated figures are as high as $11.4 billion by 2028.

Given the wide reach of Disney Plus around the world, it’s no surprise that it has a significant market share in the SVOD space. Here’s a breakdown of Disney Plus’ market share in different countries:

Region	Disney+ Market Share
USA	13%
Australia	11%
Germany	20%
Portugal	13%
Italy	16%
Singapore	21%
Turkey	21%
Japan	9.4%

Future Trends of Disney+ & SVOD

Given Disney Plus’ current and projected popularity, which has been significantly impacted by changing consumer habits and competition with other streaming platforms, it’s no surprise that the company is becoming a formidable SVOD player, on equal footing with giants like Netflix and Amazon.

We’ve looked into several trends which may impact Disney Plus and SVOD in the future.

Rise of Original Content

We’ve seen how much Disney Plus is investing in content, and since it owns huge franchises like Star Wars, it can afford to do so and keep producing popular original content. The Mandalorian, for instance, is setting a new standard for original TV, combining the beloved Star Wars universe with high production values and compelling storytelling.

Looking ahead, Disney Plus is set to unleash a wave of new original content, with numerous Marvel and Star Wars series in the pipeline. However, other entertainment giants aren’t far behind with their own original stories spinning out of popular franchises, like Wednesday and The Rings of Power.

Changing Consumer Habits & Personalization

The increasing popularity of “binge-watching” is both enabling and being enabled by SVOD streaming services like Disney Plus. Viewers are gravitating towards platforms that can offer a seamless and personalized viewing experience by offering targeted recommendations and releasing whole series at once.

Disney Plus has been embracing this trend, and it also employs sophisticated algorithms to recommend content based on user preferences, increasing user engagement and retention.

Tech Advancements

Technological advancements like AR, VR, and AI are increasingly impacting the SVOD market. With AR and VR bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds and offering enhanced experiences, these technologies can revolutionize storytelling.

Disney Plus is already capitalizing on this. In 2022, it released an AR-enabled feature called “Remembering,” opening up new possibilities for consumer engagement.

When it comes to AI, streaming services are already using the technology to deliver personalized recommendations. However, we believe that the future of AI in SVOD is likely to extend beyond recommendations, enhancing other aspects of the streaming experience.

For Disney Plus, AI could be employed to create ultra-personalized content, such as “choose your own adventure” style stories, where the plot and characters adapt based on the user’s choices. This could provide highly personalized experiences, increasing engagement and retention.

Closing Thoughts

Even though Disney Plus hasn’t been around for long, it’s successfully capitalized on its established brand and the popularity of SVOD, turning video content into a billion-dollar revenue stream and setting new standards for content. Available in over 150 countries, the streaming service isn’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon.

However, SVOD is a very competitive space, and despite all its spending and efforts, Disney Plus content is failing to reach the popularity of Netflix. Moreover, its subscriber count has dropped in 2023 for the first time.

Staying competitive in the SVOD space is a huge challenge. To meet it head-on, Disney Plus will have to make the most of current and future market trends and continue making high-quality content for diverse audiences.

References

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