Disney+ to Reach 205M Subscribers of its Ad-Supported Plan by 2028

After years of impressive growth fueled by the surging demand for subscription-based over-the-top video services, OTT video providers faced challenging market conditions which brought disappointing financial results and a subscriber drop. As a response, the largest players in the market offered ad-supported tiers to subscribers who wished to downscale. However, Disney+ could draw much more subscribers to the hybrid AVOD-SVOD tier than its competitors.

According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, Disney+ is expected to count over 205 million hybrid subscribers of its AVOD-SVOD tier by 2028, or three times more than its biggest rival, Netflix.

Over 85% of Disney+ Subscribers to Use As-Supported Plan

Streamer Disney+ launched its ad-supported subscription plan in the United States in December 2022. Less than a year later, the new standard with ads, in addition to standard and premium subscription plans, also became available in several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Since Disney+ subscribers in most markets convert automatically to the new hybrid AVOD-SVOD tier, the platform is expected to hit 205.5 million subs by 2028, or more than 85% of its total. The Digital TV Research data show Disney's biggest rival, Netflix, is far behind these figures.

The streaming giant has a large base of SVOD-only subscribers, and most will stick to their plans despite the AVOD-SVOD tier being considerably cheaper. According to the research, only 24% of Netflix's total subscribers, or 63 million, will pay for the ad-supported plan in the next four years.

Paramount+ is expected to hit 52.8 million AVOD-SVOD subscribers by 2028, or 60% of its total. HBO Max follows with 50.9 million, or 62.8% of its total subscriber count.

Four Platforms to Hit 372M Hybrid AVOD-SVOD Subscribers by 2028

By 2029, Digital TV Research expects Netflix and Disney+ hybrid tiers to be available in 46 countries, HBO Max in 35 countries, and Paramount+ in 37 countries. Thanks to their rising popularity, especially in developing countries with lower disposable incomes, the four platforms are expected to count 372 million hybrid AVOD-SVOD subscribers in the next four years, or more than half of their total subscriber base.

With their ad-supported hybrid subscriptions rising, Netflix, Disney+, HBO, and Paramount+ are expected to generate combined AVOD-SVOD revenues of $20bn by 2029, or $14bn more than last year.

The full story and statistics can be found here: https://onlyaccounts.io/blog/disney-to-reach-205m-subscribers-of-its-ad-supported-plan-by-2028-3x-more-than-netflix/