• by Wayne Friedman , January 14, 2020

Interest remains high in Disney+  as it posts big numbers in fourth-quarter 2019 downloads of the app.

A survey from Sensor Tower -- a mobile marketer researcher --  says Disney has had more than 35 million downloads of its app in the fourth quarter of 2019. Disney+ commanded 34% of all premium subscription video app downloads in the period.

The company cautions that these app downloads are install only -- not actual paying customers.

Reports suggest that Disney's actual number of overall subscribers for Disney+ -- which launched in early November -- were estimated to be at 20 million at the end of 2019, according to Credit Suisse.

Around 10 million of the Disney+ total is coming from a free yearly deal provided by Verizon for its broadband and wireless customers, according to estimates. Disney+ has also offered an initial seven-day free trial promotion.

Even accounting for the free Disney+ promotions, Disney took in 16% of all U.S subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) revenue in the fourth quarter -- around $37 million for the month of December and more than $50 million since its early November launch.

It adds that YouTube TV grabbed a 23% share of U.S SVOD revenues, while Netflix came in at 15% and Hulu and HBO Now were at 8% each.

For Netflix, research says the company's lower market share “reflects its decision to remove the ability to subscribe through the app, pushing new users to subscribe online [on the website] instead.”

Sensor Tower says its estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, App Store and Google Play for Aug. 1, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2019.

Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. Android estimates do not include third-party stores.

Data represents total installs of all app versions, not including Facebook and Facebook Lite.