In today’s Q1 earnings report, Disney announced that Disney+ added 11.8 million new subcribers for the quarter, bringing the streaming service’s total subscriber number to 129.8 million.
“We’ve had a very strong start to the fiscal year, with a significant rise in earnings per share, record revenue and operating income at our domestic parks and resorts, the launch of a new franchise with Encanto, and a significant increase in total subscriptions across our streaming portfolio to 196.4 million, including 11.8 million Disney+ subscribers added in the first quarter,” said Chapek in the earnings report. “This marks the final year of The Walt Disney Company’s first century, and performance like this coupled with our unmatched collection of assets and platforms, creative capabilities, and unique place in the culture give me great confidence we will continue to define entertainment for the next 100 years.”
Speaking to CNBC after the report was released, Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, reiterated the company’s goal of reaching between 230 million and 260 million Disney+ subscribers by 2024. “That’s been our target, and that continues to be our target,” Chapek said.
During an interview with CNBC, Chapek also confirmed that Disney will be bidding on NFL Sunday Ticket rights. Disney is just one of the big names in the running for the NFL out of market package rights. Amazon, Apple, and Google are just a few of the other names we’ve been reporting on when it comes to scoring Sunday Ticket rights after the current deal with DIRECTV expires at the end of this season.
Chapek shared that Disney is “in discussions and negotiations with the NFL” back in November, with the company likely looking at plans to bring the package to ESPN+, which reached 21.3 million subscribers by the end of the quarter, as an add-on.