Last year, following a carriage dispute that saw Disney’s channels removed from Spectrum cable in many states across the United States, Disney and Charter Communications announced a major new deal that would see Disney+ with ads being offered to all Spectrum cable customers.

Today, it’s been announced that the ad-supported version of Disney+ is now available in all Spectrum TV Select packages nationwide at no additional cost. As part of the two companies’ transformative new distribution agreement, Charter video customers can immediately begin streaming iconic entertainment from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Stars Wars and National Geographic, including movies, TV shows and original programs through the Xumo Stream Box or any other Disney+ supported device.

Tom Montemagno, Executive Vice President, Programming Acquisition for Charter, said in a statement:

“With the launch of the Disney+ Basic offer, TV Select customers can now enjoy access to Disney’s popular streaming content as well as their high-quality linear TV channels, all included as part of one video package. As the video industry continues to evolve, we are committed to including direct-to-consumer apps like Disney+ with Spectrum services while providing a simplified TV viewing experience through platforms such as the Xumo Stream Box. We are pleased to partner with Disney to further this goal to the benefit of our mutual customers.”

Disney+ is the streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, as well as exclusive original programs, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. This year, Disney+ viewers can look forward to additional episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, as well as highly anticipated premieres, including Marvel Studios’ Echo, Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Acolyte, and additional acclaimed series and blockbuster theatrical films from The Walt Disney Company. 

Justin Connolly, President, Platform Distribution, The Walt Disney Company, added:

“The inclusion of Disney+ alongside a curated lineup of our TV channels brings the best of both worlds from Disney’s unrivaled entertainment portfolio to Charter’s video customers. Our goal has always been to meet consumers where they are, and these collective offerings will maximize value for Spectrum TV Select customers while simultaneously broadening the audience of our advertiser supported streaming services.”

In addition to Disney+ Basic, Charter plans to begin including complimentary access to ESPN+ in its Spectrum TV Select Plus video package in the coming months. ESPN+ includes more than 30,000 exclusive, live sports events, including exclusive UFC events, NHL live games, college sports from more than 20 conferences, international soccer, exclusive PGA TOUR LIVE coverage, Grand Slam tennis, international cricket and more. ESPN+ also gives fans exclusive access to on-demand original content, including popular series like Peyton’s Places, and the Places Universe shows, Man in the Arena, The Captain, Why Not Us and the entire library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.

Spectrum TV Select customers can learn more and activate their Disney+ Basic subscription by creating an account at no additional cost at https://www.spectrum.com/cp/disney-plus. Customers who already have Disney+ can go to the website or app where Disney+ was purchased to manage their subscriptions to receive the full benefit of their Spectrum-provided service.

The addition of Disney+ with Ads for Spectrum cable customers will no doubt drastically increase the number of subscribers the platform has in the United States and also provide additional revenue with more advertising rates.  However, the downside of this deal, was that many Disney channels, including Freeform, Nat Geo Wild and Disney Jr, are no longer offered to Spectrum customers.

Disney is also rolling out Hulu On Disney+ in March, which will provide access to Hulu’s content within Disney+, and this will be a great way for Spectrum customers to get access to content from ABC, FX and 20th Television for just a couple of bucks extra a month.

Will you be taking advantage of free Disney+?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

View all posts