Where Disney stands in streaming demand: Marvel powered a strong Q3, but Nickelodeon leads with kids
- Disney topped other media companies in corporate demand share in Q3, according to Parrot Analytics.
- But Disney+ lagged behind Netflix by a wide margin in platform demand share for original content.
Two years after Disney+ launched, the platform is in a solid position in the streaming wars, according to new data. But there's still work to be done.
Disney topped other media companies in "corporate demand share" with 20.1% in Q3, according to Parrot Analytics, which measures audience demand. The figure represents the long-term appeal of the company when consolidating its original content and leveraging its IP for its own platforms.
Here's how it broke down:
- Disney - 20.1%
- ViacomCBS - 13.1%
- WarnerMedia - 12.1%
- NBCUniversal - 10.6%
- Netflix - 7.7%
- Discovery - 7.1%
- Other - 29.2%
But Disney+, Disney's flagship streaming product, was second to Netflix when it came to "platform demand share" for TV originals. While Netflix's share has fallen in recent years with the launch of new competitors, it still accounted for 43.7% of platform demand share.
Netflix's platform demand share is so much larger than its corporate demand share because the streamer far exceeds competitors in the amount of original content it offers on its platform, while other companies have licensed some of their originals to other platforms.
Corporate demand share, meanwhile, also accounts for a company's appeal across its brands; in Disney's case, it owns Marvel, "Star Wars," Pixar, and more. ViacomCBS is in charge of Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, the premium cable network Showtime, and franchises like "Star Trek." These assets could drive demand for its streaming platforms, like Disney+ and Paramount+, in the long term.
Disney+ followed Netflix in platform demand share with 8.9% in Q3, marking the first time it's entered second place. It surpassed Amazon Prime Video, which accounts for 8.6%. Hulu, also controlled by Disney, followed with 7.2%.
"This is a remarkable feat for a streaming service just shy of its second anniversary," Parrot Analytics insights analyst Wade Payson-Denney said in an email.
Disney+ made the leap over Prime Video in Q3 thanks to new originals with strong audience demand, according to Parrot Analytics, like Marvel's "What If...?" and Pixar's "Monsters at Works." The former was the most in-demand new original streaming series of the quarter.
Marvel's "Loki," which debuted in Q2 in June, was the the biggest overall original streaming series of Q3, topping Netflix's Money Heist" and "Stranger Things." It was 68.9 times more in demand than the average series.
Disney+ still lagged in children's content compared to the kids cable network Nickelodeon, which is owned by ViacomCBS. Nick accounted for 19.4% of content demand share, while Disney+ followed with 16.7%.
Disney launched Disney+ as a family-friendly service, particularly leveraging its decades of classic animated films. But Nickelodeon could give ViacomCBS's fledgling platform, Paramount+, a slight edge if it can capitalize on the network's brand appeal.
"The children's content space is getting increasingly competitive, as Netflix (7.9%) is making inroads against the aforementioned much more established companies," Payson-Denney said.
Disney+ had 116 million global subscribers as of its last earnings report in August. It's expected to update that figure during its Q4 report on Wednesday. This week, Disney announced that new subscribers have until November 14 to sign up for Disney+ for $1.99 for one month.