Disney+ adds 12.1 million subs as streamer eyes ‘Indiana Jones’ series

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Disney+ added 12.1 million subscribers in Q4 2022, with the service’s global total now standing at 164.2 million as it eyes an Indiana Jones streaming series.

The boost in subs numbers beat Wall Street expectations, with the Mouse House adding a total of 14.6 million when including its other services, ESPN+ and Hulu, for a combined 235.7 million subscribers across its global portfolio.

However, despite these subscriber gains, Disney reported that its DTC losses had risen in Q4 to $1.47bn, up from $1.1bn in Q3. CEO Bob Chapek maintained that these losses were expected and will lessen before the company’s DTC business becomes profitable in Q4 2024.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

Raiding the IP

Coming at the same time as the fiscal announcement are reports that the Mouse House is looking to develop a series for Disney+ based around Lucasfilm action-adventure franchise Indiana Jones.

Harrison Ford’s fifth and final cinematic outing as the globe-trotting archaeologist hero – a role he has portrayed since 1981’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark – is scheduled to be released next year and Disney is keen to continue the franchise, though it is unclear if the potential Disney+ series would be a reboot, prequel or spin-off.

This wouldn’t be the first time that the franchise has come to the small screen, with Sean Patrick Flanery previously portraying a younger version of the character in 1992-1993 ABC series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and its four TV specials.

Bob Chapek

Profitable by 2024

Breaking down the Disney+ numbers, the service added around 2.1 million subscribers in the US and Canada during Q4, with 2.9 million coming from Disney+ Hotstar in India and the further 7.2 million from other international markets.

Total DTC revenue rose to $4.9bn in Q4, up by 8% on the same quarter in 2021, while linear networks revenue meanwhile fell by 5% to $6.3bn.

“The rapid growth of Disney+ in just three years since launch is a direct result of our strategic decision to invest heavily in creating incredible content and rolling out the service internationally, and we expect our DTC operating losses to narrow and that Disney+ will still achieve profitability in fiscal 2024, assuming we do not see a meaningful shift in the economic climate,” said Chapek.