Disney CEO Bob Iger returned to his job in 2022 and has since been busy working on several key priorities he has for the company before he departs again in 2026.
©Disney
Although his job includes working with everything going on with the theme parks and Disney movies, he stated then that his number one priority was making Disney’s streaming profitable. On May 7th, the Walt Disney Company held its second quarter 2024 financial earnings call and we learned more about how streaming is working out for the company.
During Disney’s Q1 2024 earnings call, the company still seemed on track to reach profitability with streaming by the fourth quarter of 2024.
First, we can take a look at the growth in subscribers overall. Compared to the end of 2023, paid Disney+ subscribers in the United States and Canada have increased to 54 million, resulting in a 17 percent growth between December and March. Internationally, Disney+ and Hotstar subscriptions decreased to 63.6 million from 65.2 million — resulting in a 2 percent drop. Disney+ Core subscribers increased by more than 6 million in the second quarter, and Disney+ Core ARPU increased sequentially by 44 cents.
©Disney
Now, let’s see what Disney’s average monthly revenue per paid subscriber looks like. This number decreased by 2 percent domestically. Internationally, on the other hand, average monthly revenue increased by 13 percent. International monthly revenue (excluding that from Hotstar) increased from $5.91 to $6.66 due to “increases in retail pricing and a lower mix of subscribers to promotional offerings.”
©Disney
On the Hulu side, in Q1 2024, Hulu subscribers were up 1.2 million from the previous quarter. Now, Hulu subscribers have increased by a total of one percent if looking at both live television and streaming. Subscribers for both now sit at 50.2 million.
©Hulu
Disney also said, “Sports operating income declined slightly versus the prior year, reflecting the timing impact of College Football Playoff games at ESPN, offset by improved results at Star India.” Making ESPN the preeminent sports streaming service is one of Bob Iger’s most ambitious goals, so it’ll be interesting to see if these numbers turn themselves around during the second half of the year.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for more big Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB for more.
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