The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday announced that its Disney+ service has now over 50 million subscribers with the company reaching the landmark within five months after its US launch. Further, the company said that the Hotstar service through which Disney+ services were made available in India accounts for around eight million of the 50 million paid subscribers. The Disney+ service is operated by the Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and was initially launched in the US on November 12, 2019. Robert Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said in the company’s first quarter earnings call that the Disney+ service reached 26.5 million paid subscribers by the end of December. In late March, the company announced that it has launched its service in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. France was added to the list on April 7.
In the earnings call in February, Iger said that his company saw Hotstar as a “great opportunity” for them to launch the Disney+ service. Further, Iger said that they would “take advantage of the presence of Star in the market and the millions of subscribers.”
Kevin Mayer, Chairman of DTCI said in the release that the 50 million subscriber landmark feat achieved by Disney+ “bodes well” for its future expansion later in the year.
“We’re truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout Western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year,” Mayer said. “Great storytelling inspires and uplifts, and we are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver a vast array of great entertainment rooted in joy and optimism on Disney+.”
Hotstar Contributed 8 Million Subscribers to Disney+ Subscriber Tally
The company on April 3 made its service available to the Indian audience through Star India’s Hotstar app and rebranded it to Disney+ Hotstar. It has to be noted that the Walt Disney group acquired Star India’s parent company 21st Century Fox in 2019. Hotstar was always tipped to carry for Disney+ service with DTCI leveraging Hotstar’s userbase and infrastructure.In the earnings call in February, Iger said that his company saw Hotstar as a “great opportunity” for them to launch the Disney+ service. Further, Iger said that they would “take advantage of the presence of Star in the market and the millions of subscribers.”
Kevin Mayer, Chairman of DTCI said in the release that the 50 million subscriber landmark feat achieved by Disney+ “bodes well” for its future expansion later in the year.
“We’re truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout Western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year,” Mayer said. “Great storytelling inspires and uplifts, and we are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver a vast array of great entertainment rooted in joy and optimism on Disney+.”
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