Disney Plus Now Has 100 Million Subscribers

Just 16 months after launch, Disney+ has surpassed 100 million global paid subscribers. Speaking at an annual shareholders meeting, Disney CEO Bob Chapek indicated that the milestone has "inspired us to be even more ambitious."

From a numbers and content standpoint, that increased ambition is a new "target of 100+ titles per year," said Chapek. "This includes Disney Animation, Disney Live Action, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Our direct-to-consumer business is the company's top priority, and our robust pipeline of content will continue to fuel its growth."

That 100 million subscriber base is a staggering number, though it should also be pointed out that actual viewer numbers may be higher given the wider popularity Disney+--like all streaming services--has shared logins among friends. Regardless, Disney+ obviously enjoyed a strong launch and has had the benefit of an ever-growing and stronger base of content, including last year's feather-in-the-cap get of Hamilton. On other fronts, Disney+ is increasingly synonymous with The Mandalorian, WandaVision, and anticipation is high for the next MCU show, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

According to Variety, Chapek indicated that new flexibilities will be coming to Disney+, including an ESPN streaming service embedded into Hulu that later this year will allow non-members to purchase individual pay-per-view events.

In November, Disney+ passed 70 million subscribers. Just as a point of comparison, as of January this year, Netflix has more than 200 million subscribers.