Streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, with their millions of subscribers, have changed the way we watch movies and TV shows
Key Takeaways
- Streaming started small but grew quickly, changing how we watch TV and movies.
- Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ have all seen huge growth in subscribers and money made.
- Each service has its own special way of attracting viewers, from original shows to famous movie collections.
Remember the time when we had to wait for our favorite TV shows to air or go to the video store to rent movies?
But then, something magical happened. Streaming services came along and changed everything!
However to know more about their rise first, let’s go back to the 1990s.
The internet was just getting started back then, and people were excited about the idea of watching videos online.
In 1995, baseball fans got a taste of the future when they watched a live-streamed game between the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners.
Fast forward to 2005. YouTube burst onto the scene, letting anyone share videos with the world. This was a big deal!
Then, in 2007, Netflix made a bold move. They started streaming movies and TV shows online, and let’s be honest, we all know how big of a hit that was.
Now in 2024, Netflix is facing some tough competition from the platform like Hulu and then there is Disney+ who is showing a rapid growth.
So now, without any further ado, let’s look at how three streaming giants grew over the years.
Analyzing The Growth Of Netflix
Netflix started way back in 1997.
At first, they sent DVDs by mail. But in 2007, they changed the game with streaming. People loved it!
In 2010, Netflix had 20 million subscribers. By 2015, that number jumped to 70 million.
And guess what? In 2024, they have a whopping 277.65 million subscribers!
Netflix’s bank account grew, too. In 2010, they made $2.163 billion.
By 2023, that number skyrocketed to $33.723 billion. In just the first three months of 2024, they’ve already made $9.6 billion!
Now you guys might be wondering, how did Netflix get so big?
They kept their prices low, made their own awesome shows like “Stranger Things,” and spread to over 190 countries. Plus, they use smart computer algorithms that suggests us exactly what we want to watch.
It is safe to say that Netflix paved the way for all the current Streaming Giants.
Analyzing The Growth Of Hulu
Hulu joined the party in 2007.
They started small, with just 300,000 subscribers in 2010.
But they grew fast! By 2015, they had 9 million subscribers. In 2024, they’ve reached 50.2 million!
Hulu’s money grew too. In 2010, they made $0.26 billion. By 2023, that number exploded to $11.2 billion. In the first three months of 2024 alone, they’ve made $2.95 billion!
The great thing about Hulu, they have some how managed to impress everyone with it’s original series like The Bear.
In our opinion, the original series on this platform is even greater than that on Netflix.
Analyzing The Growth Of Disney+
Disney+ is the youngest of the bunch.
They launched on November 12, 2019, and it was a big hit right away.
In fact, on their first day, 10 million people signed up!
And by the end of 2020, they had 73.7 million subscribers. Now in 2024, they have managed to gain more than 153.6 million subscribers.
Furthermore, Disney+ is making lots of money too.
The great fact about this streaming giant it might be the only platform that is on the route of profitability.
Taking about their revenue, in 2020, they made $2.6 billion. And by 2023, that number grew to $8.4 billion!
The reason why Disney+ became popular quickly is because it has lots of great movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars.
It also makes its own cool shows, like “The Mandalorian.”
What’s The Status Today
Today, Netflix is the biggest, with about 27% of the streaming market. Disney+ comes in second with 15%, and Hulu has 7%. People spend a lot of time watching these services.
Netflix users watch for about 3.2 hours a day, Disney+ users for 2.8 hours, and Hulu users for 2.5 hours.
At last we want to tell, Streaming has come a long way since the 1990s. It’s now a big part of our lives, and it keeps growing and changing. Who knows what exciting new things we’ll be streaming in the future?