Disney’s streaming service Disney Plus has grown to a staggering 73.7 million paying subscribers on the first anniversary of its launch.
It is a relatively small subscriber base compared to Netflix’s 195 million global users. However Disney Plus is the most successful service to launch in the past year, smashing rivals such as Apple TV Plus, HBO Max and Peacock.
Users in India and Indonesia helped bolster the streaming service’s growth, with around 19 million of its members in those locations subscribing to Disney Plus Hotstar, a subsidiary of Disney Plus.
Disney first forecasted the service would reach between 60 to 90 million subscribers by five years of its initial launch.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping people out of the theatres, Disney has been using Disney Plus to release films which were originally intended for the big screen, a move which has helped grow its subscriber base.
The release of big-ticket hits such as the Broadway musical Hamilton and live-action Mulan were major growth items for Disney too.
Disney Plus costs $8.99 a month or $89.99 a year in Australia.
