The Walt Disney Co. wants to grow the subscriber base of its Disney Plus streaming service by adding inexpensive, ad-laden options for potential customers.
Disney Plus is adding tiered bundles (opens in new tab)The cheapest is Disney Plus Basic, which costs $7.99/month and is an option that embeds ads into the viewer experience. Ads are not currently displayed to Disney Plus Premium subscribers. Other streaming services such as Peacock and Paramount Plus also have streaming options that offer discounts if you choose ads.
Just like Peacock and Paramount Plus, you only need to watch a handful of commercials (about a minute or a minute and a half). These ad-supported streaming services do not have fast forward.
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According to Disney, current Disney Plus Premium subscribers who pay $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year are happy with the service and don’t need to do anything. Their services will continue as is. Alternatively, you can switch to the new Basic plan with ads for $7.99 per month.
Disney Plus bundle options with ads:
- Disney Bundle Duo Basic: Disney Plus (with ads), Hulu (with ads), $9.99/month
- Disney Bundle Trio Basic: Disney Plus (with ads), Hulu (with ads), ESPN Plus (with ads), $12.99/month
- Hulu and Live TV: Access to Hulu (with ads), Live TV, plus Disney+ (with ads) and ESPN+ (with ads), $69.99/month
- Hulu (no ads) and Live TVDisney+ (no ads) and ESPN+ (with extras), $82.99/month
Michael Paul, Disney’s president of direct-to-consumer, said:
Disney Plus Basic and other ad-supported bundle subscribers have access to the same movies, series, documentaries, and more under the Disney banner. Star Wars universe.Including award-winning works Abbott Elementary SchoolExclusive to Disney Plus Star Wars series mandalorian (Think Baby Yoda/Grog) and Andor, and original like old man When Only Murders in Buildings.
Disney moves come when it’s watching Stock Market Crash and Disappointing Earnings And shake up at the top. Some analysts say this could be a panacea.
“Disney Plus’ ad-supported tier will be a game-changer for subscriber and revenue growth. You can’t come.” Third Bridge analyst Jamie Lumley writes: “Disney already has a lot of advertising technology and infrastructure, through its Hulu and ABC network channels, so it’s going to be difficult to operate. It’s better positioned than Netflix from that point of view.”
Other streamers are also making significant moves to build their customer base and generate revenue. As reported, HBO Max returns to Amazon Prime Video Third-Party Streaming Channels — HBO Max owner Warner Bros. Discovery is gearing up to roll out its Discovery Plus/HBO Max mashup streaming service next summer.Last summer, Warner Bros. Discovery Significantly reduced subscription prices on HBO Max.
