Disney+ Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) boss Karl Holmes highlighted 80 percent advertising revenue growth in the U.K. and what he called a “leading” young adult audience share among streamers in the country.
Speaking at the Enders TMT (Technology, Media and Telecom) Leaders Live conference in London on Thursday, the general manager, Disney+ EMEA stressed that in the U.K., “our grown-up audience is emphatically young – more so than any other streaming platform.” Citing BARB in-home viewing data for the U.K., he said that “almost 40 percent of viewing hours on the Disney+ platform are from 16-34s. That’s higher than the equivalent for Netflix, Prime, Paramount+, Apple TV, or even YouTube.”
A chart he showed listed Disney+ at 39 percent, Netflix at 32 percent, Prime at 27 percent, Paramount+ at 23 percent and Apple TV at 20 percent.
Emphasized the executive: “The young adult audience is one we know and understand well and has an incredibly strong affinity for the franchises and content at the heart of Disney+.”
Touting “strong growth across customer numbers, engagement and advertising,” Holmes also told the conference: “Today, we are very much in growth mode, right across the board: Our EMEA customer base is growing fast, up by more than 25 percent since the start of 2025. Over the same period, those customers are choosing to watch more, with growth of more than 10 percent in average viewing per retail subscriber.”
And the ad tier, which launched in the U.K. in late 2023, has also been a growth engine. “Our advertising business is accelerating dramatically, with revenue in the U.K. alone up 80 percent year-on-year,” Holmes said.
Since November 2023, Disney+ has launched ad-supported tiers in 15 European countries. “More than 1,000 brands have joined us on the journey so far,” the exec shared. “The noise around our shows creates some great opportunities to collaborate with brands. As an example, we joined forces with Waitrose to launch a range of food inspired by Rivals and the 1980s. You can treat yourself to a bag of steak Diane crisps, rhubarb and custard ice-cream, or perhaps a little later in the day, a spicy pineapple daiquiri!”
All in all, things are going in the right direction. “It’s six years since Disney+ made its debut in Europe, and I’m pleased with the direction and the pace that we’re setting – it’s down to the creativity and hard work of our teams across the region,” the exec concluded.
He also addressed how he plans to “continue to drive growth in such a competitive marketplace,” outlining three priorities.
“First and foremost, it’s about bringing the best content to customers,” Holmes said. “The powerful, inter-generational stories that forge deep emotional connections. That is what Disney is all about.”
That starts with movies. “There’s no other streaming service that comes close to the strength and depth of our movie content,” the exec argued, pointing out that for nine of the last 10 years, Disney has been the top studio at the EMEA box office – “and our movies come to Disney+ straight after the cinemas.” Among new releases coming to Disney+ this year are the likes of Zootopia 2, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Toy Story 5, The Mandalorian & Grogu, and The Devil Wears Prada 2.” Holmes used that fact to highlight “the importance of releasing our movies in cinema – because success at the box office has an impact that spreads far beyond the theatrical window.”
An increase in local original fare to complement Disney+’s global hits is also a key recent focus. “We are increasing the number of local originals starting now,” Holmes said on Thursday. “At the end of last year, Angela Jain joined us as head of content for Disney+ in EMEA and is driving a large increase in local original greenlights across Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Turkey, as well as the U.K. Starting now, Disney+ customers will start to see a greater frequency of shows from their home market, both scripted and unscripted.”
As an example, he said that “when you’ve finished the last episode of the current tranche of Rivals, which drops tomorrow, on Monday, we’ve got another brand new original for you: the already award-winning Alice & Steve, from the makers of Baby Reindeer.”
The second strategy for continuing growth momentum is Disney’s focus on “a lifetime of great stories,” Holmes said. “I’m sure many of you will remember the first time you saw a movie from Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars at the cinema. Our position is unique, and it has been earned over a century of building our brands. We are reinvigorating our marketing to reinforce this connection and to show that Disney+ means a lifetime of great stories.”
The third and final growth priority is “being the best industry partner,” including via content partnerships with broadcasters in an increasing number of markets, as well as strong relationships with distributors and advertisers, he emphasized.
“What we offer free-to-air broadcast partners is the opportunity to extend the reach of their content,” Holmes said. “They get to bring their stories to our young audience, while Disney+ customers get to discover some of the biggest local stories.” He added: “Each deal is different. We’re flexible, and we work with broadcasters in ways that deliver for both sides. As we learn what works best, our more recent deals bring big shows to Disney+ immediately after broadcast on free to air. But one thing never changes – we make sure our broadcast partners get strong brand attribution.”
Earlier speakers at the Enders conference included BBC editorial director Rhodri Talfan Davies and Sky CEO Dana Strong.
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