The strong start for Disney+ continues. On Tuesday, Disney announced the company's streaming service has attracted 28.6 million paid subscribers as of today, up from the 10 million+ sign-ups it attracted on launch day back in November.
"The launch of Disney+ has been enormously successful, exceeding even our greatest expectations," company CEO Bob Iger said in an earnings call.
He credited the streaming service's success to the Disney library, which includes the classic TV series The Simpsons, along with the new Star Wars-themed show, The Mandalorian. Iger called the The Mandalorian a "bona-fide hit" and pop culture phenomenon, thanks in part to one of the show's characters that fans call "Baby Yoda."
Another factor to Disney+'s success has been its relatively low price, Iger said. Disney+ is currently available for $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year. "The universal appeal of this product is pretty strong," according to Iger, who noted the company isn't considering any price changes in the near-term.
The sudden growth of Disney+ is stunning when you consider Hulu, which Disney also owns, has been around since 2007, but only has 30.7 million subscribers. Netflix, in contrast, has 167 million subscribers across the globe. But the company's growth in the US has slowed to 61 million paid members
Iger said most of the subscribers to Disney+ come from the US. But going forward, the company expects foreign markets to drive user growth as Disney+ expands to more European countries and India this March.
Iger added that about 50 percent of the current subscribers signed up via the main Disney+ website. Another 20 percent came from Verizon. The remaining customer sign-ups occured through third-party platforms, such as Roku, Apple's iTunes and Google Play.
According to Iger, The Mandalorian will return in Oct. with a second season. As for the Marvel comics shows slated for Disney+, the Falcon and The Winter Soldier will arrive in August while WandaVision will debut in December.
Disney+ ranks No. 1 in App Store in U.S., Canada
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