Disney+ Reported To Hit 202M Subscribers By 2025; Boosted By COVID-19

Last week, Disney said it had reached 54.5 million subscribers to Disney+ as of May 4. The service launched last November but has only recently reached the UK and Western Europe, with several key territories remaining to launch.

Published: Monday,May 11, 2020 14:55 PM GMT-06:00

Team India Forums

Considering how entertainment industry just like any other has been seriously and immensely hit by the on-going coronavirus pandemic, having a silver lining is rare, isn't it?

But that has been the case with streaming platforms as the big guys in streaming have enjoyed immense viewership and subscription too.

An upshot of a new forecast by UK firm Digital TV Research sees Disney+ getting a big lift from COVID-19, which has kept millions of people indoors across the world, with the platform reaching 202 million global subscribers by 2025. That’s way up from the company’s previous outlook for 126 million, and well ahead of Disney’s own predicted range of 60 million to 90 million by 2024.

“We have completely revised our forecasts for 138 countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research. “A major impact of lockdown has been a steep rise in SVOD subscriptions.”

Netflix, in the research firm’s view, will remain the global leader five years from now with 258 million subscribers. HBO Max and Apple TV+, notably, are predicted to be laggards in 2025, with 25 million and 14 million subscribers, respectively.

China, where Netflix and other U.S. firms are not permitted to operate, will remain a major force, with 269 million subscribers, according to Digital TV Research.

Last week, Disney said it had reached 54.5 million subscribers to Disney+ as of May 4. The service launched last November but has only recently reached the UK and Western Europe, with several key territories remaining to launch.

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