Disney+ subscribers estimated to exceed Netflix users in 2026

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Netflix has been the clear winner of the streaming wars for quite some time but according to an analyst's latest forecast, Disney+ is showing rapid enough growth that they will reach more subscribers than Netflix in 2026. 

Digital TV Research offered up this prediction in a new report that came out today. They project that the number of Disney+ subscribers will reach 294 million in 2026 which will allow the platform to exceed the 286 million subscribers that they estimate Netflix will have by that point. Here is what Digital TV Research's principal analyst Simon Murray had to say about the estimated growth:

"Disney+ Hotstar will roll out to 13 Asian countries by 2026. These countries will supply 108 million (37 percent) of the global Disney+ subscriber total, but only $2.62 billion (13 percent) of the platform’s revenues by 2026. Hotstar subscribers pay less than a third of the monthly subscription fee of their U.S. counterpart."

Global revenue is forecasted to hit $20.76 billion by 2026 for Disney+. This figure puts it at half of the $39.52 billion global revenue that Netflix is expected to hit by the same time period. The driving force behind continued subscriber growth and more revenue for both platforms will be original programming. Disney+ sees subscriber gains due to the shows like The Mandalorian and WandaVision while Netflix impresses with hits like Bridgerton and The Crown. Each platform is always searching for its next big original hit because new content is what a lot of streaming users are looking for. 

For comparison's sake, Digital TV Research predicts that Chinese streaming services will hit 279 million subscribers in 2026 while Amazon Prime will hit 186 million globally. They will be followed by 50 million subscribers for HBO Max while Apple TV+ is way down on the list with about 11 million subscribers in 2026. 

Do YOU believe Disney+ subscribers will exceed Netflix users in 2026?