Disney+ surpasses 50M paid subscribers globally

Disney+ is gaining traction as the streaming fight intensifies, but Netflix is still number one amongst Generation Z, according to the latest Piper Sandler teen survey. Yahoo Finance's Alexandra Canal breaks it down.

Video transcript

ZACK GUZMAN: Also tracking Disney shares, up by about 5 and 1/2% after announcing some impressive numbers for its Disney+ streaming service. And for more on that, and more in our "Fame and Fortune" segment, I want to get to Alexandra Canal with the latest. And Ali, I mean, these are impressive numbers from Disney.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: Great numbers. Disney+ surpassing that 50 million global subscriber number. That's up from the 22 million they reported a few months ago. And as you said, investors clearly loving this. The stock up over 5% off of the news here. And what it shows is, that Disney is in a really good position moving forward. I talked about last week how they're an early front-runner in this streaming fight.

And it's not just from these numbers that we have today. It's also from that new Piper Sandler Teen Survey, which shows Disney+ gaining a little bit of Netflix's shares amongst the younger generation. So in that survey, teens said they spent an average 33% of their time on Netflix, followed by YouTube and cable television. But what's interesting is all three of those platforms dipped slightly from their fall 2019 results.

And a large reason for that was because of the entrance of Disney+ Apple TV+. Now of course, Disney+ only got about 7%, but Apple TV+ earning 2%. So Netflix still clearly the winner here. But what it does suggest, is that there might be room for multiple winners in this space. We still have HBO Max coming out in May, so we'll have to see what happens there. But for now, subscribers clearly loving Disney+, and it's gaining momentum.

ZACK GUZMAN: Yeah, I mean, that Piper Teen Survey is something that has a lot of people interested in it, when we look at kind of the new trends in this new generation and what they're preferring. But still interesting to see that President Trump got a question about the Tiger King and whether or not he would be thinking about pardoning him. So it does show, I mean, Netflix still some staying power.

So that's important to keep in mind. That's obviously the leader that they're chasing. But regardless of what platform these celebrities are on, we are seeing a lot of celebrities stepping up to kind of combat the coronavirus crisis right now. A lot of celebrities across the board. What have you seen in terms of maybe the most impactful moves that we've been tracking?

ALEXANDRA CANAL: Exactly. So as the coronavirus keeps spreading, celebrities are stepping up, pivoting their businesses and foundations in order to help those most in need. Kylie Jenner is one of those celebrities. Her company, Kylie Skin, has partnered with Coty to manufacture hand sanitizers for Southern California hospitals. Now this comes after Kylie Jenner maintained her title as the youngest self-made billionaire. She was also top five in Piper Sandler Teen Survey about their favorite social media personalities. So there's no denying that Jenner's reach is very large, especially with the younger generation. So it's great to see her company stepping up in such a way.

And also in a similar vein is Jay-Z and Meek Mill. Now through their Reform Alliance organization, they've been able to provide over 135,000 masks to prison inmates and prison workers in South Carolina, New York, Tennessee and Mississippi. Now this is important, because prisons can become an incubator for these viruses. It's very difficult to socially distance yourself. There's also a lack of sanitary products, like soap, toilet paper and tissues. So masks are certainly a great start.

But it's not just masks that people are struggling to find these days. It's also those basic everyday products. And that's where Jessica Alba and her Honest Company really stepped up. They donated three million diapers, 20,000 wipes, and other personal care products to families that are now really struggling to choose between buying diapers or other basic necessities. Unemployment is through the roof. People are furloughed, out of work. It's a really devastating time.

And one of the industries that's really suffering here is the food and bar space. And that's why Ryan Reynolds, finally, decided to donate 30% of all proceeds from his Aviation Gin company to bartenders through May 1, as part of its new tip your bartenders program. He already dumped $15,000 into that program to help struggling workers get back on their feet after this is all over. But these are just a few names out of the many celebrities. Many average Americans that are stepping up and going above and beyond to really take care of those most vulnerable and combat this crisis head on.

ZACK GUZMAN: Yeah, in a way that's on brand for a lot of their businesses and expertise as well, as we've seen. And Alexandra Canal highlighting that right there. Thank you so much for bringing us that.