Expansion of Disney’s streaming service slows

The expansion of Disney’s streaming service has slowed from a canter to a trot as the pandemic boom in subscriptions wears off. 

In the first quarter of this year, Disney+ added 8.7m subscribers to reach a total of 103.6m – the first time it has surpassed 100m. 

But the 9 per cent increase paled in comparison to the 21.2m or 29 per cent rise during the previous quarter.

Upcoming attraction: Executives are hoping that a strong slate of new content, including Loki, about the Marvel villain which stars Tom Hiddleston (pictured), will lure more fans

The disappointing performance was below expectations and came despite the launch of shows such as Wandavision and The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. 

It underlines the slowdown in demand for streaming services as western countries are slowly emerging from the pandemic. 

But executives are hoping that a strong slate of new content, including Loki, about the Marvel villain which stars Tom Hiddleston, and new Star Wars series The Book Of Boba Fett, will lure more fans in the coming months. 

Rival service Netflix – the biggest player in the market with 207.6m subscribers – has also reported a dramatic slowdown in growth.