Paid subscriptions to Disney+ have leapt to 73.7 million in the third quarter, a significant uplift on the 60.5 million recorded at the end of June.
The figures come just one year after the streaming service first made its debut. “The real bright spot has been our direct-to-consumer business, which is key to the future of our company,” said Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company.
There were further increases in Disney’s other streaming services, Hulu has 36.6 million subscribers, up 1.1 million from June, while ESPN Plus now reaches 10.3 million subscribers from 8.5 million in the previous quarter.
In contrast to Disney’s 73 million subscribers, Netflix boasts 73 million subs in the United States alone and 167 million across the globe.
And although Disney has now closed Disney Channel in the UK market, the sale of library titles to Disney+ helped increase revenue at Disney Channel in the United States.