Benefitting from UK consumers increasingly tuning into streaming services during the Covid-19 pandemic, Disney+ attracted by the end of April 4.3 million subscribers since launch in the country on 24 March says research from Omdia.
This means, said the Consumer Research - Devices, Media & Usage Intelligence Service - Premium report, that Disney+ is already the third largest subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) provider in the UK, behind Netflix and amazon Prime video, with a 16.8% share of subscribers by the end of April. At this time Netflix and Amazon Prime Video claimed 58.4% and 46.9% of online subscribers in the UK respectively.
The analyst said streaming services such as Disney+ are reaping the benefits as subscriptions fall for competitive pay-TV and over-the-top (OTT) sports-focused platforms, such as DAZN which is reportedly investigating alternative funding to make up for losses from traditional revenue streams. It noted that the same dynamics are also propelling the success of Disney+ in other regions. Disney+ is now ranked as the fourth largest SVOD provider in the with a 25% share of US SVOD subscribers, compared with 29% for Hulu, 47% for Amazon Prime Video and 60% for Netflix.
“Disney+ arrived in the UK just as Covid-19 social distancing and quarantine measures commenced,” observed Maria Rua Aguete, senior research director, video, TV and advertising for Omdia and author of the Consumer Research - Devices, Media & Usage Intelligence Service - Premium report.
“Streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix have become the biggest winners during the lockdown as consumers have sought new entertainment experiences to keep themselves entertained. The content and user experience offered by these services have proven to be their key differentiators. In particular, the current catalogues offered by these services have become increasingly alluring to viewers, given than the pandemic has halted production of new video content.”