Disney+ reaches five-year subscriber goal in eight months

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief

Published: August 5 2020 | 00:16

Last updated: October 28 2020 | 15:58

Disney+ reaches five-year subscriber goal in eight months

Disney+ passes the 60 million subscriber mark in just eight months - way in advance of its 2024 target.

Disney has confirmed that streaming service Disney+ has passed its five-year subscriber target in just eight months.

The platform, which offers an extensive library of Disney shows and movies including The Simpsons, Star Wars and the MCU, launched in the US last November and has had a staggered worldwide rollout since.

At the end of March, just as coronavirus lockdown was kicking in around the globe, Disney+ had 33.5 million paying subscribers but that number has passed 60 million in the last few days.

The news was revealed by Disney CEO Bob Chapek in an investor conference call on Tuesday and means that the company has already met its target of reaching 60 million to 90 million subscribers by 2024.

Chapek cited the release of Hamilton last month, as well as Frozen 2 and Beyonce's Black Is King as key drivers in the growth surge.

Disney has also announced that the new live-action Mulan movie will be made available through Disney+ for a surcharge of $29.99 (£22.95) from September 24.

Despite Disney+'s phenomenal success, the service still significantly trails market leader Netflix, which has around 193 million subscribers worldwide.