What are YOU watching on Disney+ these days? Bluey? Deadpool & Wolverine? A bunch of old classics? Well, if you’re a Disney+ subscriber, there’s some news you need to know about.
Disney has recently dropped all kinds of news about the financial status of its theme parks and more. But it ALSO made a big Disney+ announcement and we’ve got the details here.
The most exciting thing we learned from Disney’s Q3 call was their increase in focus of live sports most specifically with ESPN. According to Disney this will mark the “beginning of an exciting new era for ESPN.” They went on to say, the “value of live sports is undeniable…” and consumers can expect a new update to Disney+’s app soon. Starting on December 4th, an ESPN tile will debut within the app allowing sports fans an easier way to access their preferred entertainment. Disney’s CFO, Hugh Johnston, also stated during the earnings call that Disney is, “certainly look(ing) to continue to increase pricing based on the value we’re providing.” If you didn’t catch that, it probably is a good nod to expect price increases for Disney+ in the near future.
Variety also reported that even those who aren’t an ESPN+ subscriber will be able to access select sports entertainment through this new addition to Disney+. The new tile which will be added in a few weeks will also allow those who do subscribe to Disney’s big three suite of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ “full access to all of the ESPN+ sports content they love while inside Disney+, similar to the experience we offer bundle subscribers with Hulu on Disney+.
But how did Disney’s popular streaming service do as a whole during this past quarter? Well, the numbers speak for themselves and align with the general losses felt companywide. Disney has shared that the company ended the quarter with 174 million Disney+ Core and Hulu subscriptions, and more than 120 million Disney+ Core paid subscribers. This was an increase of 4.4 million over the prior quarter.
Disney also released a table of numbers showcasing the differences between the quarters. Disney reports that domestic Disney+ monthly revenue on average per paid subscriber decreased slightly from $7.74 to $7.70. They’ve concluded this was due to a higher mix of subscribers to ad-supported and wholesale offerings, and partially offset by higher advertising revenue. International Disney+ (excluding Disney+ Hotstar) average monthly revenue per paid subscriber increased a bit from $6.78 to $6.95. They’ve attributed this due to higher retail pricing, partially offset by a higher mix of subscribers to ad-supported and wholesale offerings and an unfavorable foreign exchange impact. Also within the international front, Disney+ Hotstar averaged a monthly revenue per paid subscriber of $1.05 to $0.78. A decrease due to lower advertising revenue. Hulu SVOD Only saw a decrease in its average monthly revenue per paid subscriber from $12.73 to $12.54. Disney attributes this decrease primarily due to a higher mix of subscribers to multi-product offerings and lower advertising revenue.
This announcement comes after some other major changes in the streaming world. Disney has been working on cracking down on password sharing, and a price increase hit the service not too long ago. There’s also a bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and Max, and continuous playlists have been added. Plus, an ESPN tile is set to come to Disney+ this year and Disney is working on a new sport-focused streaming service — Venu — though there have been some complications there.
We’ll be interested to see just what changes might hit Disney’s streaming services in the future.
We’ll keep an eye out for updates and let you know what we find. stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest!
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What do you think about this streaming news? Tell us in the comments.
If I was a sports watcher, then I’d subscribe to ESPN+. I don’t care to watch sports, and am truthfully tired of all these streaming companies shoving sports at me, charging me more, and for something I don’t want or care about. It’s one reason I got rid of cable years ago. Absolutely tired of prices being raised for things I’m not even interested in or watching. This will be one way I’ll cut Disney+ out of my streaming services since the prices are probably going up again all because they’re “offering” me something I DO NOT want.
I agree wholeheartedly. I subscribed to Disney+ because, wouldn’t you know, it was DISNEY!! I didn’t ask for ESPN, Hulu or anything like that. I’ma Disney fan but, if they keep upping the subscription price constantly, I’m afraid I will have to forget about the channel completely.