According to a report released Monday by research consultancy Media Partners Asia (MPA), Disney+ could reach as many as 100 million subscribers in India by 2025. The streamer could have 25 per cent of the total online video revenue pie, second to YouTube.
The Walt Disney Company revealed that Disney+ had amassed 50 million paying subscribers worldwide, with eight million of them coming from India. The novel coronavirus pandemic and social distancing policies across the globe have only boosted the consumption of video content.
For 2020 Media Partners Asia forecasts $104 million of subscription revenue and $74 million of advertising. By 2025, its base case scenario looks for $587 million of subscription and $314 million of advertising.
Subscription through 1H 2020 has benefited from the launch of Disney+ in April. Despite the absence of IPL tournament, Disney+ managed to contribute to the premium tier subscriber growth. Which resulted in Disney+ Hotstar remaining positive through the 1H 2020 period, suggests MPA analysis.
For 2020, Media Partners Asia forecasts that Disney Plus Hotstar will have 18 million paying subscribers, making it narrowly the market leader ahead of Amazon Prime Video with 17 million. Netflix, it estimates, could finish the year with five million subs in India.