Disney to Stop Sharing Subscriber Numbers for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+
Disney is following Netflix and other streaming giants by deciding to stop sharing the number of subscribers for its streaming services Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.
The company announced it will no longer report on paid subscribers or average revenue per user (ARPU) for these services because it believes these numbers are “less meaningful to evaluating the performance of our businesses.”
Starting with the first quarter of Disney’s fiscal 2026, which covers the last three months of 2025, Disney will stop reporting subscriber and ARPU numbers for Disney+ and Hulu. For ESPN+, these metrics will no longer be shared after the September 2025 quarter.
In a statement shared with investors, Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston explained the change. They said, “Since we began reporting the number of paid subscribers and ARPU, our DTC strategy and the operating environment have evolved. Given this evolution, we plan to implement changes to our Entertainment and Sports financial disclosures.”
The company wants its financial reporting to better match how it now runs its businesses.
Even though subscriber numbers won’t be released anymore, Disney said it will continue to provide updates on the profitability of its Direct-to-Consumer entertainment division. The executives added, “We believe our reporting going forward will better align with changes in the media landscape, the unique nature of our integrated assets, how we operate our businesses, and will reflect how management evaluates the progress and success of our strategic initiatives.”
Disney’s streaming business remains strong. For the June 2025 quarter, the company reported a 6% increase in streaming revenue and a profit of $346 million from the segment. By the end of June, the combined total of Disney+ and Hulu subscribers reached 183 million, growing by 2.6 million from the previous quarter. Disney+ itself added 1.8 million new subscribers, reaching 128 million, while Hulu grew by 800,000 subscribers to 55.5 million.
Looking ahead, Disney expects the total number of subscribers for Disney+ and Hulu to rise by over 10 million in the July to September 2025 quarter. This growth is mostly linked to the company’s expanded deal with Charter Communications. Despite the big jump in total subscriptions, Disney expects only a “modest increase” in Disney+ subscribers specifically during this period.
This shift in reporting shows Disney is moving away from focusing just on subscriber counts and revenue per user. Instead, the company wants to emphasize overall profitability and how well its strategies are working in today’s streaming landscape. The information comes from Disney’s recent quarterly earnings commentary shared on Wednesday.
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