The Numbers on Disney Plus Cancellations

Disney does not publish exact subscriber counts for cancellations each month, so there is no single number that tells you how many people have cancelled. What we do know comes from Disney's quarterly earnings reports to investors, where the company reports total subscriber numbers for Disney Plus across all regions. Between those reports, you can see when the subscriber base grew or shrank, but Disney does not break down how many people left versus how many joined.

In late 2022 and early 2023, Disney Plus lost subscribers for the first time since launch. The company reported losing around 1.3 million subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2022, and another 1.5 million in the first quarter of 2023. After that, subscriber losses slowed and then reversed. By mid-2024, Disney Plus had returned to growth. These numbers represent the net change — the difference between new sign-ups and cancellations — not the total number of people who cancelled.

The actual number of individual cancellations during those periods was likely much higher than the net loss, because some people were cancelling while others were signing up at the same time. If 5 million people cancelled but 3.7 million new people joined, the net result would be a loss of 1.3 million. The company does not separate those two figures in public reports.

Key Takeaways

  • Disney Plus reported net subscriber losses in late 2022 and early 2023, but the company does not publish how many individual people cancelled during those periods.
  • The net loss of 1.3 million subscribers in Q4 2022 and 1.5 million in Q1 2023 represents the difference between cancellations and new sign-ups, not the total number of cancellations.
  • Subscriber losses were tied to price increases, the removal of password sharing, and competition from other streaming services.
  • Disney Plus returned to subscriber growth starting in mid-2023 and has continued growing since then.

Why Subscribers Cancelled During 2022 and 2023

The period when Disney Plus lost the most subscribers coincided with several changes to the service. In December 2022, Disney raised the price of the ad-free plan from $10.99 to $13.99 per month. At the same time, the company introduced a cheaper ad-supported plan at $7.99 per month. Some subscribers who had been paying the lower price chose to cancel rather than pay more.

In the same period, Disney began enforcing its password-sharing policy more strictly. The service had always prohibited sharing passwords outside your household, but Disney did not enforce it for years. Starting in late 2022, the company began blocking accounts that shared passwords across different locations and charging extra for additional household members. This pushed some casual viewers who had been using shared accounts to either pay more or cancel.

Competition also played a role. By 2022 and 2023, viewers had more streaming options than ever — Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Max, Paramount Plus, and others. Some people were rotating subscriptions, cancelling one service for a few months and resubscribing later to watch specific shows. Others were consolidating their subscriptions and choosing to keep only a few services active at any given time.

How Disney Responded to Subscriber Losses

After the subscriber losses in early 2023, Disney made several changes to try to stop the decline. The company cracked down on password sharing more aggressively, which initially caused more cancellations but also converted some shared accounts into paid accounts. Disney also raised prices on the ad-free plan again in October 2023, from $13.99 to $14.99 per month, but introduced a cheaper ad-supported plan at $7.99 per month for new subscribers.

The company also focused on content. Disney released new seasons of popular shows like The Mandalorian, Andor, and Loki, as well as new Marvel and Star Wars series. These releases were timed to bring back lapsed subscribers and keep active ones from cancelling. By mid-2023, the combination of these strategies — stricter enforcement of policies, content releases, and price adjustments — had stopped the subscriber decline.

Current Subscriber Trends

As of the most recent Disney earnings reports, Disney Plus has returned to growth. In the second quarter of 2024, the service added subscribers rather than losing them. The company does not break down how many of those new subscribers came from price increases, password-sharing enforcement, or new content, but the overall trend shifted from decline to growth.

Subscriber numbers fluctuate seasonally. Disney Plus typically adds more subscribers around major content releases and during the holiday season, and loses some during slower content periods. The net growth in 2024 suggests that the combination of new content, price adjustments, and enforcement of sharing policies has stabilized the service.

What Cancellation Data Actually Tells You

The fact that Disney does not publish individual cancellation numbers is typical for streaming services. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and others also report only net subscriber changes, not the breakdown between new sign-ups and cancellations. This makes it impossible to know the true churn rate — the percentage of subscribers who cancel each month — from public information.

What you can infer from net subscriber changes is whether the service is growing or shrinking overall. When Disney Plus lost subscribers in 2022 and 2023, it meant more people were cancelling than signing up. When it returned to growth in 2023 and 2024, it meant the opposite. But the exact number of people who cancelled remains private information that Disney does not share with the public.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't Disney publish how many people cancelled?

Streaming services treat cancellation data as proprietary business information. Publishing exact churn rates could reveal competitive weaknesses or make the service look less stable than it is. Disney reports only net subscriber changes — the total number of subscribers at the end of each quarter — which is what investors care about most.

Does a price increase always cause cancellations?

Price increases typically cause some cancellations, but the effect varies. When Disney raised prices in December 2022 and October 2023, some subscribers cancelled, but others stayed. The impact depends on how much the price rose, what competitors charge, and how much value the subscriber sees in the service.

Can I see how many people cancelled from my country or region?

No. Disney reports subscriber numbers by region in earnings reports, but does not break down cancellations separately from new sign-ups for any region. You can see the net change in subscribers for different areas, but not the individual cancellation count.

If Disney Plus is losing subscribers, should I cancel before the price goes up again?

That depends on what you watch and what you are willing to pay. Disney announces price changes in advance, so you will have time to decide whether to stay or cancel. If you are on an older plan with a lower price, you can usually keep that price until you cancel and rejoin, though Disney may not honor the old price when you return.