New York (AFP)

Disney surpassed expectations by claiming Wednesday it attracted 10 million subscribers to its Disney streaming platform + 24 hours after its launch in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.

The group welcomed in a statement an "extraordinary demand from consumers" and said "to have already reached the remarkable figure of 10 million registrations since launch".

The firm MoffettNathanson, quoted by several US media, had predicted 8 million subscribers worldwide by the end of 2019 and 18 million by the end of fiscal year 2020.

According to the Apptopia website, which provides data on mobile applications, the Disney + app has already been downloaded 3.2 million times. The vast majority of downloads come from the United States (89%), followed by Canada (9%) and the Netherlands (2%).

It is at the top of the most downloaded free applications in the United States and Canada on the App Store, the online store of Apple.

At its launch in 2010, the application of streaming giant Netflix had been downloaded 662,000 times worldwide.

"Streaming was not what it is today and mobiles were not what they are today, the penetration rate of mobile devices and the preferences of users having switched in favor of Disney" , tempers Apptopia.

The site also estimates that users have accumulated 1.3 million viewing hours of Disney + content on the first day.

According to Bob Iger, the boss of Disney, the launch of the new service is "a historic moment for our company, which marks a new era of innovation and creativity."

According to Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives, the number of Disney + launch subscribers "reflects the rapid success of Iger and Disney, which has unparalleled content and a massive distribution network. which makes Mickey's House a serious rival of Netflix from day one ".

- Technical missteps -

Disney + experienced technical failures Tuesday, many users reporting an error message during their attempts to connect.

Disney has blamed these problems on demand that exceeds expectations.

For Richard Windsor, an analyst at Radio Free Mobile, these problems are, however, "a good sign because it implies that the demand for the unique catalog that Disney offers is very strong, which places them in a solid position in the long term."

The expert adds that the streaming market was now fluid with the entry of new actors, but that the most powerful groups like Disney, Apple and Amazon could "end up acquiring many weaker players" and undermine the base of Netflix subscribers.

Disney + has been available since Tuesday in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands from $ 6.99 per month, a price significantly lower than that of its competitor Netflix, and offers an impressive catalog, with the films of "Star Wars ", Pixar and Marvel.

For $ 12.99, subscribers to the old D23 platform also have access to Hulu and ESPN + (sports).

Starting next week, Disney + will be deployed in Australia and New Zealand, followed by Western Europe in March 2020.

The group hopes to attract between 60 and 90 million subscribers by 2024.

© 2019 AFP