In a major development in the world of online streaming websites, Disney has emerged as the top leader in the OTT section beating its 'arch-rival' Netflix in terms of the number of paid subscribers. Thanks to Disney+ Hotstar, Disney has surpassed Netflix in terms of the number of paid subscribers in terms of paid subscribers worldwide. US-based OTT giant Netflix has been working hard in order to save its subscribers, especially its 'India project' has been getting hammered and it has been failing to win new subscribers.
As per BBC report, Disney reported 221.1 million subscribers across its three streaming platforms at the start of July i.e. Disney+, Hulu & ESPN (combined). Meaning, that it has put Disney just ahead of Netflix, which has been losing customers. However, Disney OTT leadership might not be for too long as the organization has already cautioned that its loss of streaming rights for cricket in India would reduce its subscriber growth compared to previous forecasts.
Recently, Disney lost the digital rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the E auction that was conducted by the BCCI. The digital rights of India's lucrative cricketing league was won by Reliance owned- Viacom18 with a bid of INR 20,500 Cr ($2.57 Bn). While Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, won the rights to broadcast IPL in the Indian subcontinent for INR 23,575 Cr ($3.02 Bn).
Disney the OTT leader
Coming back to Disney vs Netflix, Disney owns the adult television streaming platform Hulu and the sports-focused ESPN+. However, demand for its Disney+ product remained strong. In fact, out of 221.1 million subscribers, 152 million comes from Disney+ and Hotstar.
After topping the chart, Disney is now planning to raise the tariffs for its multiple streaming platforms as well. Reportedly, Disney has announced that it will launch a Disney+ option with advertising this December. Disney+ with ads will cost $7.99 per month, the same price the company now charges for the ad-free version. Moreover, the cost of Disney+ without ads will increase by $3 per month to $10.99 as of December 8. Prices for Hulu, also owned by Disney, will rise by $1 to $2 per month depending on the plan.
It is pertinent to mention here that combined with Hulu and ESPN+, Disney said it had 221.1 million streaming subscribers at the end of the June quarter. On the other hand, Netflix said it had 220.7 million streaming subscribers.