Disney now has more subscribers than Netflix. The House of Mouse took on 14.4 million subscribers in the last quarter, taking its global subscriber base to 152.1 million. Factor in Disney's other streaming services – Hulu and ESPN+ – and the company can now boast a total of 221.1 million subscribers.
Despite the success of Stranger Things, Netflix lost one million subscribers during the same period, leaving it with 220.7 million subscribers. The streaming giant has now shed subscribers for two quarters in a row having announced its first-ever quarterly loss in April.
Today's news comes as Disney Plus gears up for the launch of its ad-supported tier. Disney Plus with ads will cost $7.99 a month – the same price the company currently charges for its ad-free version. Want to remain ad-free? Disney Plus without ads will cost $10.99 a month (or $109.99 annually) from 8th December.
The new tier is set to expand internationally in 2023, by which time Netflix will be up and running with its own ad-supported plan. We don't know how much Netflix with ads will cost, but we do know it'll be cheaper than its current cheapest tier (£5.99 / $8.99 / AU$10.99 a month).
Disney Plus launched in 2019, growing rapidly by offering original content from huge franchises such as Star Wars. In the last quarter, the company released Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi and Marvel's Ms Marvel.
"Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ feature unparalleled content and viewing experiences and offer the best value in streaming today, with over 100,000 movie titles, TV episodes, original shows, sports, and live events collectively," said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution.
Not that Disney Plus is raking it in, mind. The service reportedly lost $1.1 billion in the last quarter and is not expected to achieve profitability till 2024. Despite a shrinking subscriber base, Netflix earned a profit of $1.4 billion during the same period.
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