Disney Plus tops 116m subscribers, smashes Wall Street targets

Disney Plus tops 116m subscribers, smashes Wall Street targets
(Image credit: Disney)

Disney Plus subscriber growth shows no sign of slowing down. As of the 3rd July, Disney's video streaming service had 116 million subscribers – three million more than Wall Street analysts predicted.

According to the company's third quarter earnings statement, the House of Mouse piled on 8.7 million new customers in the last quarter alone. And that's in spite of Disney Plus hiking its monthly fee by £1 / $1 / AU$3 a month in March.

It's not all rainbows and fairy dust, though. While Disney's total revenue shot up 45% due to theme park re-openings, Disney Plus’ average revenue per subscriber per month dropped 10% year-on-year from $4.62 to $4.16.

Disney Plus Get 12 months Disney+ for only £79.99 / $79.99 / AU$119.99

Disney Plus Get 12 months Disney+ for only £79.99 / $79.99 / AU$119.99
Want access to Disney's Marvel, National Geographic, Pixar, and Star Wars content, with classic Disney shows, at a discount? New subscribers can save over £15 / $15 / AU$24 when they sign up to Disney Plus for 12 months.

It's also worth noting that almost 40% of new Disney Plus subscribers weren't from the US, UK or Australia. Most came via Disney Hotstar, which is available in India and offers Bollywood movies in addition to traditional Disney fare.

This is hugely significant because, whereas Disney Plus subscribers cough up £8 / $8 / AU$12 a month, Disney Plus Hotstar customers pay less than half that – around 299 rupees (£3/$3) a month.

Still, there's no doubt that Disney Plus appears to be in rude health. It'll be interesting to see whether it can keep growing its subscriber base as it continues to release blockbusters such as Jungle Cruise and Black Widow on Disney Plus, on the day they hit cinemas.

Disney's US-only streaming services also posted gains. Hulu grew its subscriber base by 21% to 42.8 million, while ESPN Plus grew 75% to 14.9 million. In all, Disney's three services boast a total of 173 million subscribers. Impressive – but still some way short of Netflix, which had 209 million customers as of July 2021.

MORE:

Here are 12 of the best Disney+ shows and movies to watch right now

Want help? Check out 17 Disney+ tips and tricks to stream like a pro

Take a break from gaming with these PS5 streaming apps

Tom is a journalist, copywriter and content designer based in the UK. He has written articles for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men's Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.

Read more
Disney Plus home page
Best streaming services for movies and TV shows 2025
Netflix library
Netflix is hiking prices – and it could be the start of a trend
Samsung OLED TV with a city on screen and a tag that reads "Adventures in AV"
Disney Plus may have just fixed a big issue I have with Samsung TVs
KK DVD collection
Figures suggest that the streaming market is soaring – but it’s more bad news for DVD and Blu-ray
Emily in Paris
Netflix's UK prices are rising – here's how much more you'll pay
Disney+
Samsung TV owners rejoice – Disney+ will start streaming in HDR10+
Latest in TV Streaming Services
Formula 1
US readers rejoice – F1's getting a key upgrade UK fans have enjoyed for ages
Cobra Kai
The 'perfect' and 'emotional' finale to Netflix's action-packed hit series is finally here
Emily in Paris
Netflix's UK prices are rising – here's how much more you'll pay
BBC
Netflix viewers may soon have to pay the BBC licence fee – and I think it's a good idea
A TV showing the new Now home page with Free Guy as the featured selection. Two people sitting in the foreground watching the TV in a modern living room environment.
Now TV to receive a major overhaul with new features and a fresh look later this month
DC League of Legends Super-Pets
This "cute superhero romp" from DC Comics arrives on Netflix just in time for family movie night
Latest in News
Sony WF-C710N earbuds lined up in different finishes
They’re official! Sony finally takes the wraps off its WF-C710N budget wireless earbuds
A flower on a TV screen with a gem in the middle.
TCL's new Mini LED TV range comes with huge brightness gains, reduced blooming and souped-up sound
Sony WH-1000XM4 on a table with a plant
Some of our favourite-ever five-star wireless headphones have plummeted to nearly half price – £172 off!
RCA Roku TV 24-inch (RK24HF1) small TV
My favourite kitchen TV has dropped to under £100 for Amazon Spring Deal Days
Sony XR-48A90K
Amazon has slashed the price of this five-star Sony OLED, but we have found an even better deal
Fiio FX17 in-ear headphones
Fiio's flagship in-ear headphones are packed full of drivers to put your music in pole position