What took Netflix 7 years to accomplish required only 5 months for Disney+

Bolstered by the number of people forced to stay home because of the coronavirus outbreak, Disney announced that its Disney+ streaming video service now has 50 million paid subscribers. The service, which launched on November 12th, also benefited last March from the early listing of the hit sequel Frozen 2 on the site approximately three months ahead of schedule.

Also helping to generate new subscribers to the platform was the launch of the service in several more countries over the last two weeks including the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. Eight out of the 50 million Disney+ subscribers live in India where service just launched. If you're wondering which platform is the global leader in streaming movies and television shows, that would be Netflix; the latter has 167 million paying subscribers worldwide. However, it took Netflix seven years to hit 50 million paying subscribers while Disney needed just five months.

Disney+ is available from the App Store for iOS users and the Google Play Store for Android devices. It also can be viewed from the DisneyPlus.com website. After a one week free trial, the service will cost you $6.99 a month or $69.99 for a year. Each subscription can cover up to 10 devices with any four of them allowed to use the service simultaneously. Verizon subscribers with an unlimited plan are entitled to a free year of Disney+ which can be redeemed through the My Verizon app. Back in February, when Disney reported its fiscal first--quarter earnings, former CEO Bob Iger noted that Verizon customers made up 20% of Disney+ subscribers.

There is something for everyone on Disney+. The animated classic like Cinderella are here along with more recent hits like Frozen II. The cartoons, sitcoms, and movies you grew up with on The Disney Channel like That's So Raven, Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, and DuckTales are here. Pixar films including the straight out of the theaters Onward can be streamed along with the Cars and Toy Story series. Older viewers will enjoy Black Panther and other Marvel movies, and don't forget that there are plenty of Star Wars titles including the original Mandalorian series that introduced the world to Baby Yoda. There are also quite a few National Geographic titles if you're in to that sort of thing.

If you need something different to kill some time while you're stuck at home, check out the fare over at Disney+. Even if you're not a Disney fan, you might be pleasantly surprised.