The Walt Disney Co. saw Disney+ domestic subscriber growth slow dramatically in the most recent quarter — an alarming development for the company that comes as Disney continues to aggressively push woke politics, including transgenderism and drag queens, in its streaming entertainment for children.
On Wednesday, Disney reported Disney+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada of 44.5 million for the fiscal third quarter, up sequentially from 44.4 million in the second quarter. That represents domestic growth of just 100,000, a sharp slowdown from the second quarter that saw the sequential addition of 1.5 million domestic subscribers.
The company was still able to beat third-quarter expectations thanks to overseas customers, especially in India, sending Disney shares climbing 7 percent in after-hours trading Wednesday.
Like Netflix, Disney+ also appears to be reaching market saturation in the U.S., and will increasingly rely on international markets to fuel subscriber growth.
As Breitbart News reported, Disney is bracing for even more streaming trouble ahead, lowering the number of Disney+ subscribers it expects to have by 2024.
The company lowered its Disney+ guidance to 215 million to 245 million subscribers by 2024, down from 230 million to 260 million.
The move comes as Disney announced steep price hikes on Disney+ and Hulu, with the price of a Disney+ subscription jumping nearly 40 percent. The price increases are likely to cause a significant chunk of customers to cancel their subscriptions — a phenomenon that Netflix experienced the last time it raised prices.
Earlier this year, Disney picked a political fight fight with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over the state’s Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits the teaching of sexuality and gender ideology — including transgenderism — to children in kindergarten through third grade.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek surrendered to a small group of woke employees who demanded that he oppose the law. Since then, Chapek has vowed to devote Disney to radical LGBTQ activism and to fight to repeal the law.
Disney+ recently featured a transgender “man” who menstruates in its animated Baymax series for kids. The streamer has also cast a drag queen in the upcoming Marvel superhero series Ironheart.
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