Disney+ launched nearly a year ago and it appears that the streaming service has already managed to exceed Disney's wildest expectations. Disney had previously forecast that they would reach somewhere between 60 million and 90 million subscribers for Disney+ by 2024, but during the company's fourth quarter earnings report, it was revealed that Disney+ now has 73.7 million subscribers as of September 30th. Not bad at all.
At just $6.99 per month, Disney+ remains one of the cheapest streaming options on the market, but they still have a lot of catching up to do if they're hoping to match Netflix, which has reached 195 million subscribers around the globe. Along with Disney+, we've seen several streaming services launch in recent years to challenge Netflix, including Apple TV+, Peacock, HBO Max, and more. Not every service has been successful, as we saw the rise and fall of Quibi in less than a year. Disney's quick rise is especially impressive as the service doesn't have many original programs just yet, but that will be changing in a big way over the next year as we'll see the release of a number of Marvel TV shows, as well as new STAR WARS TV shows to join The Mandalorian.
Speaking of The Mandalorian, the second season of the series launched just weeks ago and the third episode of the season will debut tomorrow. Be sure to check out reviews for the first and second episodes of the season from our own Alex Maidy. The next major Disney+ original series will be WandaVision, which will find Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprising their roles as Wanda Maximoff and Vision, respectively. It was announced earlier today that WandaVision will premiere on Disney+ on January 15, 2021.