Disney Advertising reported 157 million global ad-supported monthly active users

Disney Advertising, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, shared its estimated global and domestic (U.S. and Canada) ad-supported monthly active user (MAU) numbers, cumulative across its streaming portfolio, and its detailed calculation methodology. President of Global Advertising, Rita Ferro, announced that they have reached an estimated 157 million globally, including 112 million domestically, on average per month over the last six months.

“Disney sits at the intersection of world class sports and entertainment content, with the most high-value audiences in ad-supported global streaming at scale,” said Rita Ferro. “We wanted to be the first to offer our industry greater transparency into the methodology used to estimate our engaged global ad-supported monthly active users.”

Disney Advertising set out to define a globally consistent approach and methodology to estimate ad-supported audience numbers. Unlike linear advertising, there is no industry standard methodology for measuring global streaming advertising audience size. As an advertising industry leader focused on proving the power of its data, Disney aims to deliver intentional and impactful results for brands – in a uniquely Disney way.

The ad-supported MAU numbers are derived from active accounts across Disney’s streaming ecosystem (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+). These accounts are defined as those that have viewed ad-supported content continuously for more than 10 seconds. Each active account is then multiplied by the number of estimated users per account, with the global average being 2.6 users per account. This multiplier varies depending on the application and region.

To determine the multipliers, Disney relies on first-party survey data representing subscribers in regions with an advertising tier. This survey includes responses from more than 13,000 individuals aged 18-64, providing robust and region-specific insights into viewing behavior. These steps showcase Disney’s commitment to advancing the advertising industry with innovative, data-driven methodologies.