The Walt Disney Co. will stop reporting quarterly subscriber numbers and ARPU for its streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, as it seeks to put more focus on the profitability of its streaming efforts.
The company revealed the change in executive commentary from Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston on Wednesday morning.
“We believe quarterly updates on the number of paid subscribers and ARPU have become less meaningful to evaluating the performance of our businesses, and we will no longer report these metrics starting with the first quarter of fiscal 2026 for Disney+ and Hulu and the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 for ESPN+,” the executives write. “While we will no longer disclose subscribers and ARPU, we will provide information on Entertainment Direct-to-Consumer profitability.
“We believe our reporting going forward will better align with changes in the media landscape, the unique nature of our integrated assets, how we operate our businesses, and will reflect how management evaluates the progress and success of our strategic initiatives,” they continued.
Fiscal 2026 begins later this year, with the current quarter being the company’s fiscal Q4.
The change follows a similar move by Netflix, which stopped reporting its subscriber numbers on a quarterly basis earlier this year. Netflix said it would continue to provide an update as it hit certain subscriber milestones, and Disney is likely to do the same.
Iger and Johnston also revealed that with Hulu now wholly owned by Disney, the company will fully integrate Hulu into Disney+, culminating in an entirely new app experience coming in 2026. The Hulu brand will also replace the Star tile in Disney+ international markets.
“By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization,” the executives write. “This will enhance our ability to continue to grow profitability and margins in our entertainment streaming business through expected higher engagement, lower churn, and advertising revenue potential, as well as operational efficiencies that over time may result in savings that we can reinvest back into the business.”