Streaming wars: Disney takes another step towards Netflix

2/10/22 7:00PM

Advantage, Disney

The other good news for Disney was in its streaming biz. Disney took a solid step towards catching Netflix, announcing 12 million new subscribers to Disney+, almost double what analysts were expecting.

That update leaves Disney in a good spot to meet its 230-260m Disney+ subscriber goal by the end of 2024. It also means that once you account for Hulu and ESPN+ (both of which Disney owns), the company as a whole is over 196 million subscribers, not far off Netflix's 222m total.

Note: Amazon Prime Video has 200 million+ subscribers, but we've omitted it from this chart. Only 11% of people gave the streaming service as their primary reason for having Amazon Prime, the overwhelming majority (79%) are in it primarily for the one-day delivery.

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JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.