BURBANK, California—Disney+ made its long-awaited move into the ad-supported streaming business with more than 100 advertisers on board for the December 8 launch of the $7.99-per-month ad-supported Basic Disney+ tier.
The company also announced new subscription plans with ads across Disney Bundle and Hulu + Live TV are also now available, giving viewers more options to choose a plan that best suits their needs to stream their favorite content.
“Today’s launch marks a milestone moment for Disney+ and puts consumer choice at the forefront,” said Michael Paull, president, Direct to Consumer. “With these new ad-supported offerings, we are able to deliver greater flexibility for consumers to enjoy the full breadth and depth of incredible storytelling from The Walt Disney Company.”
“Today we welcome Disney+ with ads to the largest, most diverse and impactful portfolio in the industry,” said Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising. “We are committed to connecting our customers to the best storytelling in the world, while delivering innovation and viewer-first experiences in streaming now and in the future.”
Unlike Netflix’s ad-supported tier, which launched with less content than the main tier and a lower-resolution 720p stream, Disney reported that Disney+ Basic subscribers will enjoy the full catalog of content and key product features also offered on a Disney+ Premium plan. Disney said this includes: :
- Exclusive Originals and Library Content – an ever-growing collection of thousands of titles across movies, documentaries, series and shorts, plus unprecedented access to Disney’s long history of incredible film and TV entertainment
- Profiles – create up to seven profiles per account, with the ability to set profile PINs and content ratings by profile through parental controls
- Simultaneous Viewing – Stream up to four supported devices simultaneously
- High quality video formats – including, where supported, 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, Full HD, HDR10 and extended aspect ratio with IMAX Enhanced
- Existing Disney+ subscribers have the option to switch to the basic plan for $7.99/month. Those who choose to remain a Premium subscriber for $10.99/month or $109.99/year need no further action, Disney said.
However, Disney+ Basic subscribers will not have access to Premium features such as Downloads or GroupWatch and SharePlay, as well as Dolby Atmos at launch.
Disney also unveiled a new list of ad-supported plans now available in the US:
- Basic Disney+ for $7.99/month
- Disney Bundle Duo Basic with Disney+ (with ads), Hulu (with ads) for $9.99/month
- Disney Bundle Trio Basic with Disney+ (with ads), Hulu (with ads), ESPN+ (with ads) for $12.99/month
- Hulu (with ads) + Live TV with Hulu (with ads) + Live TV, plus access to Disney+ (with ads) and ESPN+ (with ads) for $69.99/month
Disney did not detail the amount of advertising the tier would offer, but said it launched with a list of brand advertisers from all major agency holding companies including Dentsu, Havas, Horizon, IPG, Omnicom Group, Publicis, RPA, Stagwell and WPP.
The brands represent over a dozen categories including (retail, apparel, automotive, financial services, restaurants, technology, telcom, CPG, travel).
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