During the first day of its broad international release, Disney signed up 10 million subscribers on Wednesday's launch for its Disney+ streaming services. More than 7 percent of the company's shares reportedly closed up when over 10 million users have signed up to binge hundreds of available titles.
Disney did not immediately answer a question whether pre-sale subscribers were included among the 10 million subscriber count. Verizon also offers a free year of Disney+ to its customers, which added a boost to their subscriber numbers. Disney offers a free seven-day trial, so not all the sign-ups are likely to count long-term consumers who will continue to pay for the service.
This figure is significantly higher than the initial expectations of Disney. Analysts had estimated that by the end of 2019, Disney+ would only reach 8 million users. Instead, in just 24 hours, the streaming service has scored 2 million more subscribers than its projection.
Verizon likely even helped bring in Disney's huge numbers. If you are a Verizon Unlimited customer or switch to Fios Home Internet or 5G Home Internet, the telecom company offers its customers a full year of Disney+ free of charge. Disney however said it had no more plans to release additional user data.
Disney+'s regular subscription costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year. The service can also be bundled at $12.99 per month with ESPN+ and Hulu.
The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars TV show, and High School Musical: The Series are three of Disney+'s most anticipated original shows included in the package. The service also includes a wide selection of feature films, TV shows and animated series that both kids and adults love. Every animated classic in the Disney vault can also be streamed. Plus, all the 30 seasons of The Simpsons are included.
The Disney+ streaming library also comes with a collection of 100 Disney Channel Original Movies, all the Star Wars movies, more than a dozen of the Marvel films, the Pirates of the Caribbean films and even cult classics like Newsies. A few of the best National Geographic Channel shows are also available.
Finally, for Marvel fans, Disney+ will also host a variety of brand-new series, including WandaVision featuring Avengers stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany; and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.
There will also be upcoming reboots of the films Home Alone and Night at the Museum. A reboot of Lizzie McGuire is also in the works, with Hilary Duff's celebrated comeback as the main character. The return of the Hocus Pocus sequel has also been confirmed, hopefully in time for next year's Halloween.
In the upcoming Disney+ streaming vault, there are so many options to look forward to. The Disney Company's projection foresees about 60 to 90 million Disney+ subscribers by 2024.
Recent social media buzz revealed that, in just one day, Disney broke records by signing up more customers than HBO Now, CBS All Access + Showtime, ESPN+, DAZN and Crunchyroll have signed up throughout their entire existence.
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