Disney+ has gained serious traction since the streaming service debuted, and the popular service is expected to have more than 200 million users in five years. A new report from Simon Murray, a digital TV research analyst, gave a numbers update not long ago. This new piece completely revises Murray’s previous numbers as the impact of the ongoing pandemic has drastically shifted the way streaming services are used nowadays.
Videos by ComicBook.com
According to Murray, Disney+ is expected to have 202 million subscribers globally by 2025. The analyst had anticipated the service to amass 126 million users at first, and his initial estimates awhile back came in at 101 million. The forecast is now double that original figure, so you can see how explosive Disney+ has been since its debut last year.
Of course, other major streaming services like Netflix had their user predictions shifted due to COVID-19. Murray now estimates Netflix will have 258 million users by 2025 as opposed to 238 million as he expected. This new model did not inflate Netflix quite like it did with Disney+ but the newer service has less users to bolster at the moment.
Amazon Prime will also see an uptick in its streaming base. Murray expects the service to reach 141 million users as opposed to 134 which he initially proposed. This means Disney+ will take over Amazon Prime’s spot on the top-used services list, but at least it is in the green.
Sadly, HBO Max and Apple TV+ are forecasted to lose subscribers which Murray modeled joining. His new prediction estimates HBO Max will drop from 30 million users to 25 million while Apple TV+ takes a hit at 14 million users rather than 26 million. The latter service has struggled to bring in consistent viewers given its limited slate of original content, but projects like On The Rocks could change that. As for HBO Max, the streaming service will not launch until later this month, but it will feature a promising array of Warner Bros. Pictures titles, anime, and more.
Are you surprised by this big number? Or do you feel Disney+ lives up to the hype? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
