Disney (DIS 1.01%) took the streaming world by storm last month with the launch of its over-the-top service, Disney+. The House of Mouse stormed out of the gate, announcing an impressive 10 million signups shortly after its debut. While there were a number of expected technical glitches and site outages on its first day of operations, that was partially the result of the Disney faithful overwhelming the company's servers, eager to sign up for the new service.
While Disney hasn't updated its subscriber numbers since the day after its debut, there's evidence that the streaming service is continuing to attract new viewers at a rapid pace.
Image source: Disney.
Continued strong demand
Disney fans have continued to flock to the service, with the Disney+ app being downloaded 22 million times in the four weeks since the service launched, according to a new report released by market intelligence company Apptopia. In the U.S., the app has been ranked No. 1 every day since Disney+ launched in both the Apple App Store and Alphabet's Google Play Store.
The pace has slowed somewhat from the initial findings, but it's still a 42% jump from just two weeks ago, when Apptopia reported that the Disney+ app had been downloaded 15.5 million times in the first 13 days since the service launched. The actual numbers could be even higher, though, as the data counts only the number of app downloads and doesn't include subscriptions initiated through web browsers, through other streaming devices, or via smart TVs. It's also important to note that downloading the app doesn't necessarily result in a paid subscriber.
The report also revealed that Disney had generated $20 million in in-app purchases, suggesting that customers are continuing their subscriptions after the seven-day free trial has expired.
Taking on the incumbents
The data also illustrates that excitement regarding Disney+ and the robust library of content available at launch is causing users to spend more time on the app than on those of its rivals. On a per-user basis, Disney+ viewers are spending 5.8% longer on the app, on average, than Netflix (NFLX 0.50%) and 7.8% longer than on Amazon.com's (AMZN +3.47%) Prime Video.
It's worth noting that the success of Disney+ hasn't negatively affected its biggest rivals, which must come as quite a relief to the competition. The report found that the pace of downloads and app use has remained consistent for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and AT&T's HBO, showing that they were largely unaffected by the debut of Disney+. This performance continues a trend that was noted in Apptopia's prior report.
Image source: Getty Images.
Reaping the rewards
Disney continues to reap the rewards of its decision to bundle Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 a month, as that decision has increased demand for its other streaming services, which should come as no surprise. Downloads of Hulu have increased by about 46% in the four weeks since Disney+ launched, while installations of ESPN+ have climbed by 34%.
What is surprising is the increase in demand for the Roku (ROKU +0.23%) app, which "acts as a remote for [Disney's] platform," according to the report. Roku, known for its pioneering streaming devices, partnered with Disney early on and was one of the first platforms chosen to carry the Disney+ service.
The popularity of the new platform has resulted in increased interest in Roku, which has seen its app downloads increase by a massive 57% in the month since Disney+ launched -- outpacing both Hulu and ESPN. Roku's management had seen this as a likely outcome, predicting that anything that drove increased interest in streaming would benefit the company.
An impressive start
While these numbers provide directional guidance, Disney has said it won't provide updates to its subscriber numbers outside of its quarterly earnings report. That said, if these numbers are even remotely correct, they show that Disney+ is off to an impressive start and will be a force to be reckoned with in the months and years to come.
