#Disney+ will surpass Netflix as largest streaming platform, analyst projects

Disney’s streaming service Disney+ will dethrone Netflix as the largest streaming platform in the next few years, according to a new analyst report.

A study from Digital TV Research projected that the number of subscribers to Disney+ would reach 284.2 million by 2026, surpassing Netflix, which the firm expects will notch 270.7 million subscribers in the same time frame.

The Mouse House’s streaming service actually will eclipse Netflix when it comes to the number of subscribers in 2025, according to the report. And by 2026, Disney+, Netflix and Amazon would control “nearly half” of the world’s video-on-demand subscriptions, according to the report.

The firm said much of Disney+’s growth — about 121 million, or 43 percent of its total — will come from Asian countries under the Hotstar brand, which is the company’s Indian-based streaming service.

Currently, Netflix, which is known for hits like “Squid Game,” “Stranger Things” and “The Crown,” has roughly 209 million global subscribers in the decade-plus it started streaming.

By comparison, the two-year-old Disney+, which is the home to “The Mandalorian,” “Hamilton” and “Black Widow,” has grown quickly, notching about 116 million worldwide subscribers.

Coming in third to both streaming titans will be Amazon Prime Video, according to the Digital TV’s research, which estimates that service will hit 243.4 million users by 2026.

Amazon recently estimated it had more than 175 million Prime subscribers who streamed movies and shows on its platform.

The report also predicted that HBO Max, which has about 67 million global subscribers, will garner 76.3 subscribers in the next five years.

Apple TV+, which does not break out subscriber numbers, will amass 35.6 million, the report said. Some estimate Apple’s current subscriber tally is under 20 million.