Could Disney+ Soon See Subscriber Numbers Drop?

In November 2019, Disney jumped into the streaming game and launched its own streaming service, Disney+. There were a number of great original shows, like The Imagineering Story, as well as classic 90s shows that let subscribers indulge in a Disney afternoon — think Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Tailspin, and Darkwing Duck. Couple that with the hundreds of animated and live-action Disney films and new Marvel and Star Wars shows like She-Hulk and The Mandalorian, and you’ve got one heck of a platform.

Credit: Disney

Since its 2019 launch, Disney+ has seen a constant increase in the number of subscribers, and it currently has more than 150 million subscribers. During its third-quarter earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek and CFO Christine McCarthy said that they expect Disney+ to be profitable by 2024, which is impressive, considering how much they spend to create shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Mandalorian, and Ms. Marvel. 

Credit: Marvel

However, could Disney soon see the unthinkable happen? Could Disney+ actually have a sharp drop in subscriber numbers?

On December 8, Disney+ will launch an ad-supported version of the service. The price for Disney+ with ads will be $7.99 per month. Now, if you are a current Disney+ subscriber, you know that that is what the ad-free tier costs right now. When the ad-supported tier launches, the cost of the ad-free version of Disney+ will increase almost 50%, costing $10.99 per month.

Credit: Disney

Before Disney+ launched, those who were members of Disney’s official fan club — D23 — were allowed to sign up for a three-year contract, paying just $80 for those three years. This November, those three years will be up, so it will be interesting to see how many people are willing to go from spending about $3 per month to $10.99 per month if they want to continue to watch Disney+ without ads, something they have become used to. We know that Disney will most likely see a drop in the number of ad-free subscribers, since the ad-supported tier is the more wallet-friendly offering. What will be interesting is to see how the overall subscriber numbers increase, or if they do at all.

Credit: Disney

We won’t know much about how Disney+ fares in the fourth quarter until early next year, but it will be interesting to see what happens to Disney+ when the price goes up.

Will you be getting rid of your Disney+ subscription when the price increase goes into effect?