Almost a year after Disney+ launched its ad-supported tier in the United States, which has gone on to become a huge success, with 50% of new subscribers now taking the ad-supported option, today, Disney+ has launched its highly-anticipated ad-supported subscription offering available in Canada and in many countries across Europe including the UK.

This new cheaper ad-supported tier allows Disney+ viewers more options to choose a plan that best serves their needs to stream their favourite content.   To go along with the launch of the new ad-supported tier, Disney is also introducing a new ad-free mid-range tier, which offers some of the benefits of the premium tier, but at a cheaper price.

Existing Disney+ customers will remain in their current subscription, which has been renamed “Disney+ Premium”, or have the option to switch to the Standard with Ads plan for $7.99/month or the Standard plan for $11.99/month or $119.99/year. Those who choose to remain a Premium subscriber for $14.99/month or $149.99/year require no further action.

At launch, Disney+ Standard with Ads subscribers will enjoy the full content catalogue and key product features, including:

• Exclusive Originals & Library Content – an ever-growing collection of thousands of titles across films, documentaries, series, and shorts, plus unprecedented access to Disney’s long history of incredible film and television entertainment
• Concurrent Viewing – stream on up to two supported devices simultaneously
• High-Quality Video Formats – including, where supported, up to Full HD 1080p

The new Disney+ ad-supported tier features the most advanced proprietary advertising technology and audience-based capabilities, which delivers sophisticated, globally scalable advertising that offers choice and value for both consumers and advertisers.

Disney+ Canada’s ad representative, Rogers Sports & Media, has secured launch partners for Disney+ Standard with Ads that include over 30 national advertisers and top media agencies, including Omnicom Media Group Canada, GroupM Canada Inc., dentsu Canada, and Publicis Canada.

There are some differences that Disney+ subscribers need to be aware of, especially if they travel outside of Canada regularly, as subscriptions to Disney+ Standard with Ads are intended only for use in Canada and in countries where an ad-supported subscription is available.   Disney+ Standard with Ads subscribers will also not have access to Premium features like Downloads and SharePlay, as well as Dolby Atmos.

Jason Badal, VP & General Manager of Disney+, Canada, said in a statement about the launch:

“Our new ad tier and standard tier offerings give our viewers the freedom to choose how they experience all that Disney+ has to offer.  From timeless classics to the latest hits, Canadians can now enjoy the full breadth and depth of content from The Walt Disney Company’s 100 year history in more ways than ever before.”

Disney+ subscribers in Canada now have more choices with regards to how much they want to spend to keep access to the Disney+ programming, and the new ad-supported tier also provides new Disney+ subscribers with a cheaper alternative, especially if they want to try out the platform for a while before committing to the more expensive option.  However, the introduction of the new ad-supported and Standard tiers, does mean that those subscribers who prefer a premium experience are now paying more.  Much like with other streaming services, profitability is now more important to the Hollywood studios and are now no longer chasing subscriber growth.  Though, it’s likely that the new low-priced option, will likely result in a boost in new subscribers.

Which Disney+ tier are you going to be using?  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

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