The launch of Disney+ in Central and Eastern Europe has been put back from later this year to summer 2022. However, it will make its debut in three key Asian markets later this year.
The delay in the CEE launch, according to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, is primarily to allow for an expanded footprint that will include parts of the Middle East and South Africa.
Speaking in a conference call on Disney’s fiscal Q3 results, he added that Disney+ will launch in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan this November, prior to which Disney+ Japan will also be expanded to feature additional general entertainment content in October.
Meanwhile, Star+ will launch in Latin America later this month.
Disney+ ended June with 116 million paid subscribers, over double the 57.5 million posted a year earlier. At the same time, ESPN+ had 14.9 million (+75%) and Hulu 42.8 million (+21%). In Hulu’s case, 39.1 million (+22%) were SVOD only and 3.7 million (+9%) live and SVOD. Disney notes that while ESPN+ and Hulu both saw YoY increases in ARPU, that for Disney+ fell by 10% to $4.16. This was due to a higher mix of Disney+ Hotstar subscribers in the current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter, partially offset by a lower mix of wholesale subscribers and increases in retail pricing.
Furthermore, D2C revenues for the quarter increased 57% to $4.3 billion and operating loss decreased from $0.6 billion to $0.3 billion. The decrease in operating loss was due to improved results at Hulu, partially offset by a higher loss at Disney+. The latter was due to higher programming and production, marketing and technology costs, partially offset by an increase in subscription revenue and Premier Access revenue for Cruella in the current quarter. Higher subscription revenue reflected subscriber growth and increases in retail pricing. The increases in costs and subscribers reflected ongoing expansion of Disney+ including launches in additional markets.
