Disney+ Grows to More Than 95M Subscribers

People may be cutting down on their streaming services, but Disney+ certainly isn't feeling the [...]

People may be cutting down on their streaming services, but Disney+ certainly isn't feeling the pinch. Disney revealed on Thursday that they have reached 94.9 million subscribers as a part of their earnings report for the December quarter. This number exceeds their original subscriber goal of 60 million to 90 million by 2024, so the media company is now aiming for 230 million to 260 million subscribers by 2024.

"We believe the strategic actions we're taking to transform our Company will fuel our growth and enhance shareholder value, as demonstrated by the incredible strides we've made in our DTC business, reaching more than 146 million total paid subscriptions across our streaming services at the end of the quarter," Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, said in a press release. "We're confident that, with our robust pipeline of exceptional, high-quality content and the upcoming launch of our new Starbranded international general entertainment offering, we are well-positioned to achieve even greater success going forward."

The success of shows like The Mandalorian and WandaVision have certainly contributed to the streaming service's massive appeal, as well as the robust slate of upcoming Marvel and Star Wars shows. Disney announced over 100 projects back in December on Investor Day, and about 80% are going directly to Disney+.

This news ironically comes after "#CancelDisneyPlus" trended on Twitter after Mandalorian star Gina Carano was fired after sharing anti-Semitic memes on Instagram. "Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," Lucasfilm (owned by Disney) said in a statement. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable." Some conservatives saw this as oppression, instead of a woman facing consequences for her reprehensible actions.

The decision opened up a lot of discussion on Twitter, with Senator Ted Cruz even weighing in. "Texan Gina Carano broke barriers in the Star Wars universe: not a princess, not a victim, not some emotionally tortured Jedi," Cruz tweeted. "She played a woman who kicked a-- & who girls looked up to. She was instrumental in making Star Wars fun again. Of course, Disney canceled her." It doesn't seem like Cruz has ever actually seen a Star Wars film, and Twitter filled his mentions with mockery. As long as Disney+ keeps pumping out the addicting content, their numbers will likely continue to swell, despite the best efforts of Cruz.

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