Disney+ Starts Strongly Down Under

Disney+ is now Australia’s fourth most popular subscription television service, drawing 1.8 million subscribers in its first three months, research company Roy Morgan reports.

Disney+ launched in Australia and NZ at the same time. While the data relates only to the Australian market, the press release makes for fascinating reading about the rise of streaming in this part of the world:

Netflix remains by far the nation’s most watched subscription television service, with 12.20 million Australians having access to it, an increase of 942,000 on a year ago. It is followed by Foxtel on 4.85 million (-98,000) and Stan on 3.70 million (+1.09 million).

Disney Plus, which only entered the Australian market in November 2019, now reaches 1.80 million viewers, placing it in fourth position ahead of Amazon Prime Video on 1.48 million (+914,000) and YouTube Premium on 1.48 million (+244,000).

This new data comes from Roy Morgan Single Source, Australia’s most comprehensive consumer survey, derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with over 50,000 Australians each year.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says that while Netflix is the clear leader in subscription television services, there is growing competition to secure the attention of Australian viewers.

“Since entering the Australian market in 2015, Netflix has reshaped how we watch television. It created a product which allows users to make their own selection of uninterrupted television to watch whenever they want. Its success not only brought other players into the market, it forced commercial television to adapt by creating its own online streaming channels.

“Subscription television services continue to grow in Australia. Over the past year, an additional 893,000 people gained access to a streaming service in their household. All subscription television services have experienced an increase in viewers over the last year with the exception of Foxtel, which dropped by around 100,000 compared with a year ago.

“Disney Plus is the latest provider in the market, and it appears to have landed with a bang. Despite only being available since last November, it has already secured around 1.8 million viewers, nearly half the current viewership of Stan. The current COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many Australians to self-isolate at home indefinitely, presents an unexpected opportunity for streaming companies such as Disney Plus to continue the momentum of customer growth in the months ahead,” Ms. Levine said.

Number of Australians with subscription television in the household

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, December 2018 – February 2019, n= 12,599. December 2019 – February 2020, n= 12,082. Base: Australians aged 14+.

Netflix plus Stan is the most popular subscription television combination, with 3.44 million viewers having access to both services and closely followed by Netflix plus Foxtel (3.14 million).

The new subscription television service Disney Plus has attracted an impressive audience in only a few months and 1.67 million Disney Plus viewers also have access to Netflix. This represents 93% of the Disney Plus viewership but only 14% of Netflix viewers.

Nearly 900,000 Australians have access to both Disney Plus and the locally owned Stan. This level of viewership is equal to half of all Disney Plus viewers and represents nearly a quarter of Stan’s 3.7 million viewers. A far higher rate than for rival streaming service Netflix.

Significantly for traditional pay TV service Foxtel only 11% of their viewers have signed up for the new Disney Plus streaming service – a lower rate than for either Netflix or Stan.

“It’s becoming increasingly common for viewers to have access to multiple pay television services. Of the major pay television providers, Disney Plus is most commonly paired with Netflix and Stan, and thus far there has been a lower take-up by Foxtel customers. Roy Morgan data offers deep-dive insights as to why people prefer particular subscription television services, and which others they are likely to pair it with,”  Ms. Levine said.

Number of Australians with leading subscription television combinations in the household

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, December 2019 – February 2020, n= 12,082. Base: Australians aged 14+.