San Francisco, Feb 12 (IANS): Disney's video on-demand streaming service Disney Plus (Disney+) has garnered approximately 94.9 million subscribers around the world, the company announced in its Q1 2021 earnings report.

According to The Verge, Hulu now has 39.4 million subscribers, while ESPN Plus has 12.1 million subscribers.

The strong numbers for Disney Plus show a noticeable jump from the 86 million subscribers Disney announced it had reached at its investor day in December 2020.

The surge in subscribers likely came from holiday streaming releases of major titles like Pixar's Soul and the final episodes of The Mandalorian's second season in December, the report said on Thursday.

It also means that Disney has already crossed its original 90 million subscriber goal for the service -- a number the company originally expected to take four years to reach, it added.

The company has since revised that four-year plan with a new goal of reaching between 230 million and 260 million subscribers by 2024.

Overall, Disney's direct-to-consumer streaming business is up 73 per cent year over year, with revenue of $3.5 billion.

Disney is planning to help boost those numbers in the coming months, though, with its first price increase for the service in the US set to arrive next month -- starting on March 26, Disney Plus will cost $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year (up from $6.99 a month or $69.99 per year), the report said.

The Disney bundle -- of Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus will also see a $1 increase to $13.99 a month, it added.