Disney streaming subscriber growth blows past estimates

On Wednesday, third-quarter earnings beat analysts’ forecasts and revenue topped expectations.

Walt Disney announced earnings per share of $1.09 on revenue of $21.5B. Walt Disney shares are down 27% from the beginning of the year, still down 40.02% from its 52 week high of $187.58 set on September 9, 2021. They are under-performing the Dow Jones which is down 8.33% from the start of the year.

At the end of the fiscal third quarter, Hulu had 46.2 million subscribers and ESPN+ had 22.8 million. Combined, Hulu, ESPN+ and Disney+ have over 221 million streaming subscribers. Netflix, long the leader in the streaming space, had 220 million subscribers, according to the most recent tally.

Disney shares rose more than 6% after the closing bell.

The streaming space has been in a state of upheaval in recent weeks, as Netflix disclosed another drop in subscribers and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a shift in content strategy. While Netflix expects subscriber growth to rebound, uncertainty has left analysts and investors wondering what the future holds for the wider industry.