Disney+ soars to top 100 million users

Walt Disney Co.’s flagship streaming platform topped 100 million users just 16 months after its debut, quickly establishing the service as Netflix Inc.’s most-formidable competitor.

The company announced that it reached the milestone on Tuesday, just ahead of its annual meeting. The service, called Disney Plus, debuted in the U.S. in November 2019 and rolled out to Canada, Australia, Latin America and Singapore in the following months.

The rapid ascent of the service underscores the power of the Disney name, along with entertainment franchises that include Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar. Netflix, the pioneer in subscription streaming, finished 2020 with almost 204 million subscribers globally.

The success has prompted Disney to increase the programming budget for Disney Plus. The Burbank, Calif., company has set a target of more than 100 new titles per year. The service is now available in 59 countries.

“Our direct-to-consumer business is the company’s top priority,” chief executive Bob Chapek said in a statement, “and our robust pipeline of content will continue to fuel its growth.”

The company also said Tuesday that the Disneyland resort in Southern California will reopen in late April on a limited basis and that its cruise line may resume operations by fall. Both businesses were shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. The company plans to recall more than 10,000 park employees and will need to retrain them to operate within the state’s covid-19 guidelines.

All of the company’s directors were reelected at the meeting. Also, Disney’s executive compensation plan received 68% approval from shareholders, a contrast from three years ago when investors rejected the plan. That vote prompted the company to redesign its pay, tying rewards more closely to performance.

Chapek, 61, earned $14.2 million in the last fiscal year, less than the $21.9 million his predecessor Bob Iger earned in his first year as CEO in 2006. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Disney eliminated bonuses for its most highly compensated executives.