Demand for new streaming service Disney+ higher than expected
Around 26.5 million people have subscribed to the entertainment group Walt Disney's new streaming platform just one and a half months after its launch. This is significantly more customers than had been expected.
Experts had expected only around 20 million paying subscribers at the end of December. The Group's turnover and profit were also higher than expected in the past quarter.
Disney+ has been available in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand since November 12. The platform shows Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars films, among others. According to the company, the service will launch in Switzerland in March.
The fact that the launch of Disney+ was so successful is due to popular productions such as the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian", but also to the fact that the streaming service has so far significantly undercut the prices offered by Netflix, for example.
However, the boom in this area of business at Disney has come at a price. The high costs of expanding the streaming business led to a slump in profits in the most recent quarter. In the three months to the end of December, net income from continuing operations fell by 23 percent year-on-year to 2.1 billion dollars, as the Group announced. Revenue, however, rose by a good third to 20.9 billion dollars. (SDA)
