Editor's take: I'm a bit surprised that ESPN+ numbers are so low, but then again, it's the slow season for sports and the Covid-19 pandemic isn't helping matters. If there is to be a college football season this year, expect ESPN+ numbers to increase substantially.
Disney couldn't have asked for a better start to its premium Disney+ streaming service.
The service got off to a hot start out of the gate, attracting some 10 million subscribers on its first day after launch last November. By the end of the year, Disney had attracted more than 25 million subscribers and hit the 50 million subscriber milestone after just five months.
Back in June, Disney made a bold move by doing away with its free trial offer for new members. Now, you'd be out a minimum of $6.99 to try the service out for one month to see if you like it. It was risky but by all indications, the decision hasn't hurt the service one bit.
In its most recent earnings report, which covers the three-month period ending June 27, Disney+ had 57.5 million paying subscribers on record. In a call with investors earlier this week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the figure had since swelled to more than 60.5 million paying subscribers.
Disney's earnings report also revealed the number of paid subscribers for ESPN+ and Hulu. As of June 27, ESPN+ had 8.5 million subscribers while Hulu had 35.5 million.
Image credit: Ivan Marc, Daniel Constante