Disney+, the streaming service that offers content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star, has announced that it will launch a new cheaper plan with ads in the UK from 1 November 2023. The new plan, called Standard with Ads, will cost £4.99 per month and will allow subscribers to watch up to two streams at the same time in full HD quality.
Why Disney+ is introducing ads
Disney+ is following the footsteps of Netflix, which launched its own ad-supported plan in the UK in July 2023. The move is aimed at attracting more customers who are looking for affordable and flexible options to access streaming content. Disney+ said that it wanted to give consumers more ways to subscribe and to provide value for its advertising partners.
Disney+ currently has more than 116 million subscribers worldwide, but it faces increasing competition from other streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Peacock. By offering a lower-priced plan with ads, Disney+ hopes to expand its reach and appeal to a wider audience.
What ads will be shown on Disney+
Disney+ said that the ads on its new plan will be “contextually relevant” and “family-friendly”. The ads will be shown before and after the content, but not during the content. The ads will also be limited to a maximum of five minutes per hour of viewing.
Disney+ said that it will work with its world-class advertising partners to deliver high-quality and engaging ads that match its brand values. The company also said that it will respect the privacy of its subscribers and will not use their personal data for targeted advertising.
What other plans are available on Disney+
In addition to the new Standard with Ads plan, Disney+ will also offer two other plans: Standard and Premium. The Standard plan will cost £7.99 per month or £79.90 per year and will offer the same features as the Standard with Ads plan, but without any ads. The Premium plan will cost £10.99 per month or £109.90 per year and will offer up to four streams at the same time in 4K UHD and HDR quality, as well as Dolby Atmos audio.
All three plans will include access to the same content library, which features exclusive originals such as The Mandalorian, Loki, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Cruella, Black Widow, Luca, Soul, Hamilton, and more. Subscribers will also be able to download content for offline viewing on up to 10 devices.
The new plans will be available in the UK and other European countries from 1 November 2023. Existing subscribers will remain in their current plan, which will be renamed Premium, and will have the option to switch to Standard or Standard with Ads plans.
