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Disney+ Basic: What the new option means

Disney says it now has 221 million subscribers - just slightly ahead of Netflix
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

20.00 11 Aug 2022


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Disney+ Basic: What the new op...

Disney+ Basic: What the new option means

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

20.00 11 Aug 2022


Share this article


A new option is coming to subscribers of Disney+.

The streaming service has announced Disney+ Basic will launch later this year.

This will see adverts on the platform, but will be cheaper than the current ad-free plan.

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While Disney says it now has 221 million subscribers - just slightly ahead of rival Netflix.

Newstalk's technology correspondent Jess Kelly explained it to The Hard Shoulder.

"From December, we're going to have a new tier called Disney+ Basic.

"That will feature adds, and then you'll have what we have at the moment - which is the Premium version."

Disney Plus General view of the Disney+ streaming service. Picture by: James Warwick/EMPICS Entertainment

While there are still questions around exactly how it works.

"We don't know how the ads will appear [and] we don't know how many ads.

"Anyone who's watched the Channel 4 player, for example, will know...there's unusually three 30-second ads.

"And then every 15 minutes or thereabouts, within an episode of a TV show, another three per-roll ads come in.

"The big difference with the Channel 4 [player] - and I don't mean to take a swipe - but it's not like the RTÉ Player that crashes after you sit through four minutes of ads and before you get to your TV show".

'Price war'

On prices, Jess says this is a bit unclear.

"We know the US prices, and this is where it gets a little bit funny.

"The US price we have now is $7.99 a month, which is current price for Disney+.

"The current plans that exist are going up $3 to $10.99 a month.

"So rather than having - say - a $5 plan, they're essentially just bringing everybody up a little bit."

And she believes more of this type of competition is coming.

"I do think this is what we're going to see now.

"More and more, there's going to be a price war, there's going to be a content war, there's going to be a marketing war amongst these companies to try and get you to spend your €10 or €20 a month with one company rather than another".

Main image: A close up of the Disney Plus application is seen in Canada in March 2020. Picture by: Marvin Tolentino / Alamy Stock Photo

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Adverts Disney Disney+ Basic Disney+ Ireland Disney+ Premium Jess Kelly Price War The Hard Shoulder

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