Disney+ has lost four million subscribers in the first three months of the year.
The subscription service announced the losses, saying they came amid a “wider cost-cutting drive” and adding that they had also narrowed their losses as a whole by $400 million (around £316.5 million).
The majority of subscriber losses came from the group’s ‘Hotstar’ service in Asia which, at the end of last year, lost streaming rights to Indian cricket matches.
It also lost around 300,000 subscribers in the US and Canada after raising subscription prices.
Operating losses were reduced to $659m (£523 m) for the first three months of this year, down from $1.1bn (£874 m) in the previous quarter.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said: “The improved financial performance reflects the strategic changes we have been making throughout the company to realign Disney for sustained growth and success.”
But with Disney+ haemorrhaging subscribers, which streaming services have made gains?
What are the most popular streaming services?
Netflix
Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, and has 232.5 million people signed up.
They counted a net subscriber addition of more than seven million in the last quarter of 2022, exceeding analysts’ predictions.
Netflix originals —such as Stranger Things, the Crown, and Orange is the New Black — have made the service extremely popular, with the site also boasting one of the biggest libraries of film and TV content. Wednesday is the most enjoyed show overall.
The most recent stats published by Kantar in April this year, show that the total number of UK subscribers reached 29.4 million for the first three months of the year.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime is fast becoming one of the most popular streaming services. It, too, has a range of original content, including popular series such as Clarkson’s Farm, and Mammals, plus the likes of Reacher, and The Boys.
Statista reported in February that the number of households in the United Kingdom with an Amazon Prime Video subscription increased to around 13.12 million in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Apple TV+
Series such as Ted Lasso and Yellowjackets is making Apple TV an up-and-coming new option for TV lovers.
According to Statistica, the number of Apple TV+ paid subscribers amounted to an estimated 25 million as of March 2022. Additionally, around 50 million users worldwide accessed the platform via promotions, as the service is available for free for one year with the purchase of new Apple devices.
NOW TV
NOW TV has a range of membership options and offers American shows only available on Hulu, like the new series of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. NOW also has Sky box sets, Sky Sports channels, and Sky movies included, depending on the membership option you opt for.
Statistica data reveals how the streaming services has around 1.9 million subscribing households in the UK.
BritBox
Boasting ITVX coverage, and the best in British series, BritBox is gaining popularity. It not only features new shows, such as I May Destroy You and Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?, but you can also find old favourites not aired any longer, such as Grange Hill, Thunderbirds, and Mr Benn.
The “best of British” streamer, which is backed internationally by BBC and ITV, only releases figures of subscribers annually and for the entirety of its reach — which includes the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland —and reported subscriber numbers of three million in March this year, seeing growth of 15 per cent, with the popularity of live events, such as the Baftas, boosting subscribers.
