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State of the Screens

Disney’s Streaming Saga: Narrowing Losses Paint a Brighter Picture

By November 20, 2023No Comments

Six big questions re: Disney streaming:
1) How much revenue is Disney generating from streaming/direct-to-consumer?
2) How many people subscribe to Disney’s streaming services?
3) What share of Disney+ subscribers are ad-supported?
4) What share of ad-supported streaming subscribers do Hulu and Disney+ account for?
5) What share of total TV time do Disney+ and Hulu account for?
6) How much does Disney spend on content?

Big question #1: How much revenue is Disney generating from streaming/direct-to-consumer?

Disney streaming/DTC revenue (YoY growth):
1) 2022-Q3 – $4.5B
2) 2023-Q3 – $5.0B (↑ 11%)

35B4A5.1-2023Q3B

Disney streaming/DTC profit (YoY growth):
1) 2022-Q3 – ($1.4B)
2) 2023-Q3 – ($400M) (↑ 71%)

35B4A5.1-2023Q3A

Big question #2: How many people subscribe to Disney’s streaming services?

Total Disney streaming subscribers (YoY growth):
1) 2020-Q3 – 120.6M
2) 2021-Q3 – 179.0M (↑ 48%)
3) 2022-Q3 – 235.7M (↑ 32%)
4) 2023-Q3 – 224.7M (↓ 5%)

Disney streaming subscribers by platform (% of total):
1) Disney+ – 150.2M (67%)
2) Hulu – 48.5M (22%)
3) ESPN+ – 26.0M (12%)
4) Total – 224.7M

35B4A5.1-2023Q3G

Disney+ subscribers (YoY growth):

1) 2020-Q3 – 73.7M
2) 2021-Q3 – 118.1M (↑ 60%)
3) 2022-Q3 – 164.2M (↑ 39%)
4) 2023-Q3 – 150.2M (↓ 9%)

Share of Disney+ subscribers outside U.S./Canada:
1) 2021-Q3 – 67%
2) 2022-Q3 – 72%
3) 2023-Q3 – 69%

Big question #3: What share of Disney+ subscribers are ad-supported?
Quick answer: 3% (5.2M)

Big question #4: What share of ad-supported streaming subscribers do Disney+ and Hulu account for?
Quick answer: 40%

Big question #5: What share of total TV time do Disney+ and Hulu account for?
Quick answer: Hulu and Disney+ account for 6% of total TV time and 15% of streaming TV time.

27B3.8-SEP2023E(Disney)

Interesting: According to TVision, Hulu’s household reach in the U.S. is 91% higher than Disney+!

Keep in mind: Disney recently agreed to purchase the remaining share of Hulu Comcast owned for $8.6B+.

Big question #6: How much does Disney spend on content?

Estimated U.S. content spend for Disney (YoY growth):
1) 2022 – $30B (↑ 18%)
2) 2023 – $27B (↓ 9%)
3) 2024P – $25B (↓ 8%)

Podcast: Bob Iger’s Year One: Highs, Lows, and Marvel Woes

Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.