Disney+ Almost Doubles US Catalog Size In Two Years
As more and more people move from linear television to streaming platforms like Disney+, Netflix and Hulu, many customers take a look at how many titles are available to determine the value of a streaming service.
In the past few years, the amount of content available on platforms like Disney+ has generally continued to increase. However, many platforms have removed original and legacy titles to save money, either as an impairment charge to offset costs from new unpopular originals or to save money on paying out residuals/licensing fees for less popular shows and films.
Recently, Reelgood has released some new data showcasing the ever-growing amount of content available on most the most popular streaming platforms in the United States, including Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Peacock, Max and Amazon Prime Video.
Since the start of 2021, Disney+ has almost doubled the amount of shows and films available to subscribers. Going from 742 films on January 15th 2021, compared to 1400 on October 15th 2023. In comparison, the shows grew from 311 to 576. These numbers will have continued to grow since this initial date.
Meanwhile, Hulu’s catalogue has expanded, offering 916 films in early 2021, compared to 2419 in October 2023. At the same time, its TV catalogue grew from 1700 to 2656 shows, which is a considerable expansion.
Later this year, Hulu on Disney+ will be launching in the United States, making many of Hulu’s films and shows available on Disney+, which will provide a one-app experience for Disney’s Streaming Bundle customers, which will give Disney+ subscribers access to many more films and shows. However, not everything will be available due to the lack of premium add-on content and licensing issues.
It’s easy to see how a combined platform between Hulu and Disney+ would give subscribers access to a high selection of quality films and shows to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime. Compared to how much content is available on Disney+ internationally, it’s easy to see many advantages for subscribers having a combined platform.
Over the last two years, Disney+ has been adding more and more titles from National Geographic and the Disney Channels. But it’s also had a boost in titles from A+E networks. Yet, there are still hundreds of titles locked away in Disney’s vault that are not available.
There are some other interesting boosts in content over the two-year period, with Max getting a huge boost in series following the merger of Discovery+ and HBO Max. However, the biggest surprise is that Paramount+ has drastically reduced the number of films available in the past year, removing almost 1500 movies from its streaming service, which is shocking.
Apple TV+ has continued to release new original films and shows, but the selection is dwarfed by the other streaming services, showcasing why library content can be so important. It’s also hard not to notice how Amazon Prime Video has amassed a massive selection of licensed movies and shows as part of its platform, which is the exact opposite strategy of Apple TV+, which is focused on quality over quantity. But it’s also worth pointing out that Amazon has lost thousands of movies in the past two years,
Which streaming platform do you watch more? Let us know on social media!