Fact check: The problem is… Disney+ still isn’t profitable (yet), and they’re raising prices while removing content to cut costs (just like Warner Bros. Discovery did with HBO Max).

1. Summary of the results

The original statement is partially accurate but lacks important context. While Disney+ has indeed struggled with profitability historically, losing over $11.4 billion in operating losses since launch ^[1], recent data shows significant improvement. The Direct-to-Consumer segment reported an operating income of $293 million in Q1 fiscal 2025, compared to a previous loss of $138 million ^[2]. The platform has shown strong growth with 117.6 million subscribers in 2024, a 12.6% increase from 2023, generating $10.4 billion in revenue ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original statement:

• Financial Trajectory: While not yet fully profitable, Disney+ has shown significant improvement in financial performance, with substantial revenue growth of 21.6% year-on-year ^[3].
• Strategic Measures: Disney is implementing multiple strategies beyond just content removal and price increases:
• Launch of an ad-supported tier
• Password sharing crackdowns
• Overall cost management improvements ^[4]
• Content Removal Context: The removed content primarily consists of:
• Lesser-known titles
• Original shows cancelled after one season
• This is part of a broader industry trend across streaming platforms ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement presents an oversimplified view of Disney+'s situation:

• It fails to acknowledge the recent positive financial trends, including the shift from losses to operating income in Q1 2025 ^[2]
• The comparison to HBO Max oversimplifies the situation, as Disney's content removal strategy is more targeted and strategic, with expected content impairment charges of $1.5 to $1.8 billion ^[6]
• While the statement implies the platform is struggling, Disney+ has maintained strong subscriber numbers, reaching 152.1 million subscribers as of Q3 2022 ^[7], though growth has recently slowed ^[3]

The narrative benefits streaming competitors who might want to portray Disney+ as struggling, while Disney itself has been transparent about both its challenges and its path to profitability, projecting profit generation by the end of 2024 ^[8].