Australian homes could flock to Disney+

The fledgling SVOD could reach one million subscribers in Australia within 18 months as the House of Mouse reclaims its content from competing streamers.
December 2, 2019

Disney is grabbing up its own content from competing platforms in Australia to bolster Disney+, which could drive one million subscribers to it in 18 months, according to market research firm Ampere. Disney+ launched in Australia on November 19 as the House of Mouse preps its worldwide rollout. Its reception in Aussie market could be a microcosm for how the streamer will be greeted globally.

Disney has been taking back the licenses for its own content from Australian platforms recently, including buying back more than 50% of its content from streaming service Stan between October and November, according to Ampere. Stan now has 108 hours of Disney content, down from 585 hours t, which for the most part was exclusive to the platform, Ampere finds. Stan’s catalogue includes older movies and TV shows, such as action film Air Force One and comedy series Scrubs from Disney-owned production outfits like Touchstone and Buena Vista.

Aussie streaming service Foxtel Now’s catalogue has declined by more than half to 290 hours of Disney content, down from 731 in October. Foxtel’s remaining Disney content is primarily TV show from the network’s continued access to Disney Channel and Disney Jr. channel content.

Both platforms have a sizable kid audience that might be drawn to Disney+ as the familiar content leaves, according to Ampere. Thirty percent of Stan and Foxtel’s users have young children (younger than 10), and 18.5% have older kids (older than 10). If users with young kids on either platform switched to Disney+, that would represent an immediate demand from 645,000 homes, Ampere finds. This could be boosted by an additional 397,000 homes if consumers with older kids also subscribe.

Disney+ launched in Australia and New Zealand on November 19. There might be room for a few streamers to co-exist in Australia: the average household subscribes to two SVODs, according to Ampere’s Q3 2019 survey of 2,000 households in the country. On average Stan users subscribe to three SVODs, Foxtel Now users have three and a half, while households with kids use up to four services. Households with kids are willing to pay for more services to meet kids content demand needs, says Ampere and this could be a big driver for Disney+’s growth in the region.

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About The Author
News editor for Kidscreen. Ryan covers tech, talent and general kids entertainment news, with a passion for kids rap content and video games. Have a story that's of interest to Kidscreen readers? Contact Ryan at rtuchow@brunico.com

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