Disney has described a fall in the number of subscribers to its streaming service as modest.
At the end of its first fiscal quarter ending December 28, 2024, Disney+ reported 125 million subscribers, a decrease of 0.7 million on the previous quarter. When combined with subscriptions to the North American Hulu service, subscriptions increased by 0.9 million to 178 million.
Direct-to-Consumer operating income increased to $293 million from a loss of $138 million in 2023.
“Streaming remains a success story for the Company as we build Disney+ into the ultimate digital destination for audiences to access the very best we have to offer in film, television, sports, and news — all in one place,” CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said in a joint statement. “And our Q1 Entertainment Direct-To-Consumer results reflected improved profitability.”
In December Disney introduced an ESPN tile on Disney+, which provided bundle subscribers with the full range of ESPN+ sports content and select ESPN content which is available to all Disney+ subscribers (including certain live sports events and games).
Iger and Johnston announced the launch of new live sports studio shows that will be exclusive to Disney+ later this year. That includes a daily edition of the flagship SportsCenter called SC+.
