Almost 2 Years In, is Disney+ or Netflix Winning the Streaming Wars?

These days, streaming services are one of the most popular forms of at-home entertainment! With nothing but a monthly subscription and a TV, you can watch your favorite movies, original series, and informational documentaries on topics you didn’t know you were interested in yet!

©Disney | Disney+ Movie Gallery

Disney+ and Netflix are two of the most popular services right now and, as long as you have those two, you’ll be up-to-date on the hottest conversation topics. But which service is better? Today, we’re discussing the times the two streaming giants went head to head…and which one came out on top!

Disney+ Hit 100 Million Subscribers WAY Faster

Back in March, Disney+ hit the massive 100 million subscriber milestone after having just launched less than a year and a half prior. It was a big deal for the streaming service, proving that it had skyrocketed in popularity.

©Disney

But Netflix? It took the older service 10 years to hit the same milestone that Disney hit in 16 months! To be fair, Netflix was the first big streamer to the game, so things took much longer to build up. Plus, how many of you even remember way back when Netflix only sent actual DVDs BY MAIL and wasn’t even online. (Yes, the DVDs were delivered to your mailbox by dinosaur, if you’re wondering. 😂) Disney was able to take advantage of the already established momentum to get where they are today. And now, Netflix has more than 200 million subscribers, doubling Disney+’s count.

Click Here to Learn Disney+’s Updated Subscriber Count!

Netflix Has a Much Bigger Content Library

But while Disney+ is quickly catching up in terms of subscriber count, they have quite a way to go to match Netflix’s streaming library. Netflix has more than 5000 individual titles in the content library in the U.S. alone, including more than 47,000 episodes of TV shows.

Remember this little show? 😂 ©Netflix

Disney is much further behind with a little more than 500 movie titles and 7500 episodes of shows and series. Like we mentioned above, Netflix has been around much longer and has had more time to build up its vast selection.

Disney+ Has More Popular Franchises

Even though Netflix has thousands of different titles, the titles on Disney+ may be more enticing to viewers. Netflix has original content that is very popular, but since so many other networks have started their own streaming services, Netflix has lost many big franchises.

©Disney

Disney+ is home to Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, five of the biggest hitters in entertainment. Keying into these big names and how familiar the home viewer is with some of the iconic characters, Disney+ has been able to capitalize on direct-to-stream exclusive series in all of these genres like WandaVision, The Mandalorian, Monsters at Work, and many more!

©Disney

Many of the movies and shows on Disney+ offer something that Netflix’s options don’t — nostalgia for the viewers at home. If you want a heavy-hitter blockbuster like you’ll find with Marvel movies or your kid’s favorite animated film — chances are you’ll be turning to Disney+ over Netflix.

18 Awesome Movies and Shows You Had No Idea Were on Disney+! — Click Here

Netflix Is Making More Revenue

But it turns out that the numbers really do matter in terms of subscribers because Netflix is currently making a LOT more money than Disney+. In Q1 of 2021 alone, Netflix raked in $7 BILLION!

©Netflix

During the same time frame, Disney+ brought in about $2 billion. That means Netflix more than TRIPLED what Disney+ made in a few months, with only double the amount of subscribers. (Although we should also note that Netflix is a dollar more expensive than Disney+, so that is likely a factor.)

Disney+ Has Better Flexibility

Finally, let’s discuss bundling. While Netflix is only available as a subscription on its own, Disney offers the opportunity to purchase Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ in one convenient bundle.

©Disney+

The Disney bundle is only $13.99 a month, which is cheaper than some of Netflix’s premium packages. That certainly helps make up for the content library size of Disney+!

©Hulu

So Netflix may be beating Disney+ in terms of numbers, but Disney isn’t slouching in the slightest! Netflix has a lot more time and an extensive catalog propelling it to the top, but Disney+ is steadily moving forward. The newer service could possibly take over Netflix in subscriber count sometime in the future, and if it keeps cranking out hot original content, then we could possibly see the day Disney+ overtakes Netflix as the streaming titan. 

Stay tuned to DFB for the latest streaming news and updates from Disney and beyond. We’ve got all the Disney media news to share!

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Do you have a subscription to either service? Which do you like better?

The post Almost 2 Years In, is Disney+ or Netflix Winning the Streaming Wars? first appeared on the disney food blog.