Disney+ vs. Netflix: Number Of Paying Subscribers Compared

Statistics reveal that more and more people are subscribing to streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. Here's a quick look at how the two subscription services fare in comparison with each other.

Netflix

Netflix has been running for many years now. The streaming giant started offering its services in 2011, and has seen a massive, continuous increase in the number of paying subscribers enjoy its shows.

According to statistics collection and reporting site Statista, Netflix was able to amass 21.6 million subscribers during the second half of 2011, the year that it started. The number of subscribers kept growing until last year when, by the fourth quarter of 2019, it already had 167.09 million subscribers enjoying its offerings worldwide.

Of that 167.09 million subscribers around the world, 61.04 million were paying subscribers from the United States of America. Netflix appeals to people of all ages, as indicated by the majority of these subscribers being between the ages of 18 and 54. Data also revealed that there are more Hispanic and African-American subscribers than White subscribers.

Disney+

Disney's own streaming service was off to a good start. Analysts previously estimated that Disney+ will only be able to acquire about 20 million subscribers by the end of 2020, but that's not what happened. According to an earnings report, the streaming service already amassed 26.5 million subscribers in December 2019 – a far cry from previous estimates, The Verge reported.

What's more, Disney CEO Bob Iger, during a recent earnings call, reported that there are already 28.6 million subscribers as of Monday, Feb. 3.

“We had a strong first quarter, highlighted by the launch of Disney+, which has exceeded even our greatest expectations,” Iger said during the call.

Disney+'s performance during its first quarter has surpassed that of Netflix, which had 21.5 during its first quarter. This indicates the increase in public interest for streaming services.

Disney expects to see the number of subscribers increase with the release of new shows such as the highly anticipated “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” which stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, “WandaVision” which will star Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and the second season of the popular show “The Mandalorian” starring Pedro Pascal and the adorable child fans call Baby Yoda.