Yesterday was a milestone for Disney+, which has become a jewel in the crown for the Walt Disney Company. The streaming service debuted in the U.S. one year ago – and its growth has been extraordinary, making it one of the highlights for Disney during a challenging time.
During the past year, the streamer became the beneficiary of the COVID-19 pandemic. With millions of people homebound and looking for something to do, Disney+ has managed to capture a large market share of subscribers. The service has quickly become a major competitor to services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which have dominated the market for years.
Let’s look at some of the notable highlights from the past year that has made Disney+ a player in the streaming wars.
Disney+ Hits 73 Million Subscribers
When Disney+ launched one year ago, it had already amassed an astonishing 10 million subscribers. On the day the streamer made its debut, the number of people signing up and logging into the service caused the site to crash. This resulted in some features being temporarily disabled to keep up with demand. In its first operating quarter, the service gained 26.5 million subscribers. This was a testament to the power of the Disney brand and the delivery of content via digital platforms.
The Walt Disney Company’s goal was to reach 60 million to 90 million subscriptions by 2024. The company announced today that the streamer has already surpassed 73 million subscribers, which means that it has far outperformed expectations.
Part of Disney+’s success was its expansion into the international marketplace, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Germany, and France. Although COVID-19 slowed down the process of reaching other territories, Disney+ launched in India on April 3, and rebranded Hotstar to Disney+ Hotstar (which has seen a surge in interest). Earlier this year, Disney+ expanded to Portugal, Belgium, and the Nordic countries.
New Original Content
The streamer proved to be a successful platform for launching new content from its different business units. Premiering new content not only beefed up its library, it also created online conversations that have consistently trended on social media.
The streamer’s massive hit, “The Mandalorian,” has become a destination for subscribers. It was also able to reach outside the Star Wars fan base and grow its audience into other demographics. Part of its success was ‘Baby Yoda’ (not actually Yoda and referred to in the show as “the child”) which has become the darling of social media. This past season, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) recognized the high production values of the freshman show by bestowing it with 15 Emmy nominations.
“WandaVision,” the new original series that premieres January 15, will also bolster the streamer’s offerings and also expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the show, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives, begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
Acquisitions and Other Programming
To keep up with the demand of offering content to its subscribers, the streamer premiered shows that focused on what makes the Walt Disney Company unique from other media companies.
“The Imagineering Story,” the original docuseries created, directed and executive produced by Leslie Iwerks. The series went behind the scenes to look at the history and creation of the Disney theme parks and attractions around the world. “Prop Culture” also made its way to the streamer, which focused on Disney movie props with the filmmakers, actors, and crew who created and used them in some of Disney’s iconic films.
Disney+ also acquired new titles and premiered them exclusively on the streamer. These include “Howard,” the documentary on lyricist and screenwriter Howard Ashman who was behind some of the most successful films from Disney’s second renaissance of animation. “Frank and Ollie,” the documentary on legendary animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson, two legendary animators who worked alongside Walt Disney debuted as well.
Disney+ Becomes Home To Some Theatrical Productions
Due to concerns over the pandemic, theaters across the nation and abroad temporarily closed their doors. With this creating challenges for the company, Disney made the decision to premiere some of the films earmarked for theatrical distribution to drop on Disney+.
Pixar’s “Onward” was moved to the streaming service in April, just a few weeks after its theatrical debut. In October, Disney announced that Pixar’s “Soul” was skipping theaters in favor of debuting on Disney+ on December 25th.
One of the highlights in July was the debut of the staged production of “Hamilton.” The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release in October 2020, but with theaters closed, the musical made its way on Disney+ in time for the Independence Day holiday, much to the delight of subscribers.
One move that did receive some controversy was the release of “Mulan.” Due to many theaters being closed and others at limited capacity, the film landed instead on Disney+, but was not included with the regular Disney+ subscription. The company opted for it to be available as a “Premier Access” offering for $29.99. The Walt Disney Company did note that the film managed to generate a spike of traffic for Disney+.
New Offer from Disney+
In honor of the streamer’s first birthday, shopDisney.com will be giving away a free Collectible Disney+ Key with any $25 purchase with the code: DISNEYPLUSKEY (while supplies last).
The Walt Disney Company will also be launching specialty tees featuring favorite characters in honor of the anniversary.
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Let’s Hear From You
Did you take the plunge and join Disney+. Let us know why you have or haven’t subscribed to the service and what shows are on your watchlist. For the service to keep growing, what would you like to see added or changed?
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