On November 12th Disney made its big move into the entertainment streaming market by launching Disney+. Since that day many of us have enjoyed watching Disney+ Originals like The Mandalorian and Imagineering, throwbacks like The Parent Trap and Darkwing Duck, and epic movies like Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. But for some of us the question we have been wondering is whether Disney+ has been a success or not.
It is not uncommon for streaming services to keep information such as ratings hidden form the average viewer. In the past we have rarely seen Netflix or Prime Video sharing how many viewers their original content received. So determining how well Disney+ is doing could be a little tricky. Thankfully, someone in the industry has calculated some numbers that may give us an indication of just how successful Disney+ has been.
There was a recent article at CNBC that reveals some staggering numbers that can be derived from membership numbers and Disney’s own corporate worth reports. You may have seen the impressive report that on launch day Disney+ had 10 million sign up for the service. I don’t think we’ve ever seen whether this number includes the preorders or if it is only from new members on the launch date, but 10 million subscribers was a pretty impressive start for the service. Disney has said they hope to have 60-90 million subscribers by 2024, and they are expecting 25 million subscribers by the end of the services first quarter.
The main point of the CNBC article is that Disney is reporting it’s total enterprise value at $320 billion. Disney’s core value can be totaled to $213 billion, leaving $107-$108 billion representing the streaming services (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+). That’s about 33% of the company’s current value. You can check out the full article here: CNBC.com
This is pretty good news for those of us who love having access to movies previously locked in the Vault or who are currently binge watching shows from our childhood. Disney+ has had its share of hiccups along the way (DuckTales 2017 Disney+ Viewing Order!), but overall I have had an enjoyable experience. I have high hopes for the platform as it adapts to it’s subscribers needs and as more content continues to be added.
Let us know in the comments or on social media what are you currently watching on Disney+.