• by Wayne Friedman , March 9, 2021

Over-delivering on its initial projection, Disney+ has passed 100 million global paid subscribers -- up 5% from fourth-quarter numbers.

An initial estimate at Disney+'s launch in November 2019 forecast the premium streaming service could get to 60 million to 90 million subscribers by 2024.

Speaking at a Disney shareholder meeting on Tuesday, Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the numbers have inspired the company to push further into the space. Now, in a new projection, the company says it hopes to get to between 230 million and 260 million paid subscribers by 2024.

In addition, Chapek reiterated an early promise to increase original content -- 100+ new titles per year -- from Disney Animation, Disney Live Action, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic brands.

Last month, Disney said that at the end of Q4 2020, Disney+ had 94.9 million subscribers, while ESPN+ had 12.1 million, with Hulu SVOD at 35.4 million; and Hulu + Live TV at 4 million.

Total Disney streaming platform subscribers at that time amounted to 146 million paid subscribers worldwide.