Disney+ projected to be global SVOD leader over next five years

The SVOD Update report noted that China and the US had a similar number of subscriptions by the end of 2020. Due to government pressure, China’s growth is decelerating, with 354 million subscriptions expected by 2026. By contrast, the US will continue to grow, with 450 million subscriptions expected by 2026. Both countries combined are projected to have a market share of 56% by the end of 2021.

The study observed that three platforms will control nearly half the world’s SVOD subscriptions by 2026. Disney+ is set to be the biggest winner, overtaking Netflix in 2025. The Disney flagship direct-to-consumer service is projected to add 140 million subscribers between 2021 and 2026 to bring its total to 284 million. About 121 million of Disney+’ subscribers (43% of its total) in 2026 will be in the 13 Asian countries under the Hotstar brand.

Netflix is forecast to add 53 million subscribers to reach 270.7 million subscribers by 2026; revealing growth even for the most established platform. Amazon Prime Video is set to have 243.4 million customers.

The SVOD Update report Update report also noted that the Chinese block of SVOD providers – led by Tencent, iQIYI, Youku, Bilibili and Mango – is forecast to contribute a total of 353.8 million subs by 2026, with Tencent at the vanguard on 98.7 million. Rapid TV News