50 million subscribers in five months “bodes well for our continued expansion” says Disney chairman

Published by Alice Jaspars on April 10th 2020, 1:01pm

It appears the outbreak of Covid-19 has impacted all spheres of life, from education, to healthcare, to culture. The home of Mickey Mouse is no exception.

Forced to shut their theme parks across the world, to postpone their films, and deprived of live sports to broadcast on ESPN, Disney has been offered one silver lining, in a cloud filled situation.

Disney Plus, the latest in a family of streaming services, has met a total of 50 million paid subscribers across the world, a considerable achievement given that the service is only five months old.

Kevin Mayer, the streaming chairman for Disney, said that: “This bodes well for our continued expansion.”

Prior to the introduction of the service in November last year, predictions had indicated that the service would take until 2022 to hit 50 million subscribers.

Put in context, the streaming site Hulu, which is also Disney owned, has taken 13 years to hit 30 million subscribers. Netflix, has 167 million subscribers dating from 2007 onwards.

It is estimated that Disney has lost around $70 billion since the beginning of February. The salaries of executives have been cut by up to 30 per cent, and on 19 April, furloughing will begin for non-essential employees.

The executive chairman of Disney, Robert Iger, said that measures could be introduced to Disney theme parks, including checking temperatures, to help get back to business as soon as possible.

He said: “People will have to feel comfortable that they’re safe, [and] it could come from more scrutiny, more restrictions.

“Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people’s temperatures.”

Share this article


Leaders of Great Britain

About Leaders of Great Britain

Leaders of Great Britain hosts a series of engaging events featuring prominent figures from the worlds of politics, sports, business, and entertainment. Our goal is for every attendee to leave these gatherings with profound leadership insights that transcend boundaries. Learn More.


Related Features


Authored By

Alice Jaspars
Culture Editor
April 10th 2020, 1:01pm

Follow Us

Follow @LeadersGBNI on Twitter for more live updates

Share this article


Popular Features

FEATURES | Published October 7th 2024, 4:04 pm

Margaret Ollivier: Ensuring Respect and Inclusivity at Expect Ltd

FEATURES | Published September 16th 2024, 11:11 am

Andrew Martin: Steering the Course of Planning and Development

FEATURES | Published July 26th 2024, 7:07 am

Paul Bowley: Transforming Lives with Abbeycare Group

© Copyright 2024, Leaders of Great Britain.