Disney Reports 157 Million Monthly Ad-Supported Streaming Users Globally

The entertainment giant reveals detailed metrics for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ at CES, highlighting its growing ad-supported streaming audience.

Disney announced an average of 157 million global monthly active users for its ad-supported streaming platforms over the last six months, including 112 million users in the U.S.
The figures were disclosed at the CES Tech and Data Showcase, where Disney emphasized transparency in its methodology for estimating audience size.
The company calculates viewership by counting accounts that watch ad-supported content for at least 10 seconds and multiplying by an estimated number of users per account, without de-duplicating overlapping users across platforms.
Disney's ad-supported tiers are gaining traction, with more than half of new Disney+ subscribers in the U.S. opting for the ad-supported option following a price increase for ad-free plans.
The announcement positions Disney ahead of competitors like Netflix, which reported 70 million ad-supported users in November 2024, and underscores the industry's shift toward ad-supported streaming as a key growth strategy.