Still from “The Mandalorian” series on Disney’s streaming service Disney+.
Disney
It’s been about four weeks since Disney launched its signature streaming service. Since then, the company reported the Disney+ service had 10 million signups through smart TVs, mobile devices and desktops after its first day.
Now, independent app-tracking company Apptopia reports Disney+ has been downloaded 22 million times to mobile devices since its launch, and the app has averaged 9.5 million daily active mobile users, ranking in the top spot in both Apple and Google‘s app stores.
Apptopia only measures mobile downloads and usage, and does not include usage on devices like smart TVs, Roku boxes, Apple TV or desktop web browsers.
Disney says it will not disclose its own numbers until its next quarterly report, and a spokesperson declined to comment on Apptopia’s findings.
Apptopia says it measures mobile app downloads by connecting its data analytics tools to over 250,000 apps. It then combines that data with publicly available information to estimate the number of downloads.
Apptopia does not have information on how many of those downloads come from free trials. Disney offers Disney+ free for seven days. Verizon also offers a free year to wireless subscribers with unlimited data plans and new Fios TV customers. But a fair number of people are paying, as Apptopia says Disney has already brought in $20 million in revenue from the app. That’s a combination of $5 per-month fees and annual commitments, and it doesn’t include the cut Disney has to share with the app stores.
Apptopia says the strong start for Disney+ doesn’t seem to be hurting mobile traffic to rival streaming apps. Downloads and streaming time for AT&T‘s HBO Now and Amazon Prime Video have been unaffected by the new launch. Netflix did see a brief dip in mobile traffic following the launch of Disney+, but then it resumed normal volume, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Google’s annual search trends report, which was released on Wednesday, said Disney+ was the top trending search in 2019 in the U.S., another strong sign of consumer interest.
A number of other related apps have also benefited from Disney+. Apptopia reports that the discounted bundle that includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 per month has boosted new installs of those apps as well. Roku has also been boosted. Apptopia reports that “we believe Roku is seeing more engagement due to people watching a lot of Disney+.”
Disney has only rolled out the Disney+ in four countries outside the U.S., and about 85% of Disney+ downloads and daily users are in the U.S., according to Apptopia. The app will roll out globally next year, starting with Western Europe in March, then Latin America and Eastern Europe in the fall.
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