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Disney+ to Launch Tier With Ads on December 8, at Same Price as Current Ad-Free Plan

The Disney+ streaming service will launch a paid ad-supported subscription tier that costs US$7.99 per month on December 8, while the ad-free tier increases its price to US$10.99. The current subscription costs US$7.99 without ads.

The bundle with both Disney+ and Hulu at the ad-supported tier will cost US$9.99 in December, with the option of adding ESPN+ for an additional US$3. Ad-free Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ will cost US$19.99.

Disney+ also gained 14.4 million new subscribers during the third qurater of its fiscal year 2022. The service now has 152.1 million subscribers. Across its Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ streaming services, Disney now has 221.1 million subscribers.

Disney+ is streaming the Marvel Future Avengers and Star Wars: Visions anime in the United States. The Walt Disney Company had also announced plans to stream Tatami Time Machine Blues, Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall, and Summer Time Rendering globally, but Disney+ has yet to offer these titles in the United States. Disney+'s Japanese Twitter account announced an anime of the Disney Twisted-Wonderland smartphone game in October, but has not provided further details. The service plans to also stream the live-action series of The Kindaichi Case Files globally.

Disney+, along with the Disney+ Hotstar service in Southeast Asia, has streamed a number of recent anime in English in several countries, including Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc, Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaguya-sama: Love is War Ultra Romantic, My Hero Academia, Spy×Family, Summer Time Rendering, The Rising of The Shield Hero Season 2, Tomodachi Game, Aoashi, Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall, Dance Dance Danseur, and Platinum End. In Southeast Asia as Disney+ Hotstar, the service partners with other regional license holders such as Muse Asia and Ani-One Asia to provide anime content, in addition to its own licensed titles.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings had stated in April that its rival service is also considering adding a new ad-supported subscription tier. Netflix is currently planning to launch the tier in early 2023.

Anime streaming service Crunchyroll recently removed its long-running free ad-supported simulcast viewing option in the beginning of the spring anime season in April, with only a few exceptions. (Some spring season titles are available for free ad-supported viewing for their first three episodes a week after they premiere, and older titles are still available for free with ads.) The service previously allowed free ad-supported streaming for simulcast titles one week after an episode premiered.

Source: IndieWire (Chris Lindahl) (link 2, Tony Maglio)