What you need to know
- Apple TV+ could reach 35.6 million subscribers by 2026.
- Disney+ could pass Netflix as the largest streaming service as soon as 2025.
Apple TV+ could take until 2026 to pass 35 million subscribers.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, new data from research firm Digital TV Research projects that Apple's streaming service will reach 35.6 million users by that year.
Behind that, it estimates that China's Tencent will end 2026 with 98.7 million users, China's iQiyi with 76.8 million and HBO with 76.3 million subscribers. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ will record 35.6 million users then.
That same report went on to say that Disney+ is on pace to pass Netflix and become the dominant streaming service as soon as 2025 and reach over 284 million users in 2026.
Research firm Digital TV Research shared the prediction in a report, projecting that the number of subscribers to Disney+ would reach 284.2 million in 2026, down from a 294.0 million estimate the firm had made earlier in the year. In 2026, Netflix will` have 270.7 million subscribers, down from an earlier estimate of 286.0 million. In a February report, the firm had forecast that Disney+'s user base would surpass Netflix's in 2026.
According to the research, this will result in three streaming services controlling nearly half the market by that year.
"Three platforms will control nearly half the world's SVOD subscriptions by 2026. Disney+ will be the biggest winner, overtaking Netflix in 2025. Disney+ will add 140 million subscribers between 2021 and 2026 to bring its total to 284 million. About 121 million of Disney+' subscribers (43 percent of its total) in 2026 will be in the 13 Asian countries under the Hotstar brand."
Apple TV+ is available for $4.99 per month. It is also included in all three tiers of the Apple One subscription bundles.
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With TV+, you can watch well-produced, big-budget TV shows from famed directors, and starring award-winning actors and actresses across all your Apple devices and with up to six members of your Family Sharing group.
