<p>The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday said its television streaming service has already won 50 million paid subscribers just five months after its launch in the US.<br /><br />Disney+ rolled out in India and eight Western European countries in recent weeks.<br /><br />About eight million of its paid subscriptions are in India, where Disney+ is offered in conjunction with existing Hotstar service.<br /><br />"We're truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout Western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year," direct-to-consumer and international chairman Kevin Mayer said in a release.<br /><br />The Walt Disney Company last month rolled out Disney+ streaming service in seven European countries, but had reduced bandwidth -- and hence reduced output quality -- because of the heavy demand on network infrastructure during the coronavirus crisis.<br /><br />Strict confinement rules are keeping millions of people at home in a bid to curtail the outbreak, effectively providing an enormous captive audience for the US entertainment giant's contender in the streaming market.<br /><br />After its US launch last November, Disney+ is now streaming in Austria, Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.<br /><br />Disney is hoping its subscription rate of 6.99 euros a month (£5.99 in Britain and $6.99 in the US) will be a small price to pay for in-home access to its blockbuster films and franchises.<br /><br />It aims to compete with Netflix, Apple and Amazon by leveraging its huge catalogue of Disney animated classics along with its Pixar, Marvel and National Geographic movies -- not to mention its wildly successful <em>Star Wars</em> franchise.<br /><br />Leading television streaming service Netflix reported having 167 million subscribers in a quarterly earnings report early this year.</p>
<p>The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday said its television streaming service has already won 50 million paid subscribers just five months after its launch in the US.<br /><br />Disney+ rolled out in India and eight Western European countries in recent weeks.<br /><br />About eight million of its paid subscriptions are in India, where Disney+ is offered in conjunction with existing Hotstar service.<br /><br />"We're truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout Western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year," direct-to-consumer and international chairman Kevin Mayer said in a release.<br /><br />The Walt Disney Company last month rolled out Disney+ streaming service in seven European countries, but had reduced bandwidth -- and hence reduced output quality -- because of the heavy demand on network infrastructure during the coronavirus crisis.<br /><br />Strict confinement rules are keeping millions of people at home in a bid to curtail the outbreak, effectively providing an enormous captive audience for the US entertainment giant's contender in the streaming market.<br /><br />After its US launch last November, Disney+ is now streaming in Austria, Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.<br /><br />Disney is hoping its subscription rate of 6.99 euros a month (£5.99 in Britain and $6.99 in the US) will be a small price to pay for in-home access to its blockbuster films and franchises.<br /><br />It aims to compete with Netflix, Apple and Amazon by leveraging its huge catalogue of Disney animated classics along with its Pixar, Marvel and National Geographic movies -- not to mention its wildly successful <em>Star Wars</em> franchise.<br /><br />Leading television streaming service Netflix reported having 167 million subscribers in a quarterly earnings report early this year.</p>