Disney + Basic has officially gone live. Today’s launch of the $8-a-month offering marks a turning point in the larger streaming race, leaving Apple TV+ — for now — as the only major player without commercial interruptions
Disney’s new tier features 100 advertisers at launch and about 4 minutes of ads per hour, slightly less than the industry norm. Along with the new plan, Disney is also offering additional bundles. “Duo Basic” pairs the lowest tiers of Disney+ and Hulu for $9.99 a month, while “Trio Basic” groups the aforementioned duo with ESPN+ for $12.99.
The expansion of Disney+ builds on a strong foundation in Hulu, the Disney-run service which had a free, ad-supported plan from its launch in 2007 until 2016. Once it started charging for subscriptions and then added its live TV bundled plan, Hulu’s subscription business eclipsed advertising, but ad revenue still totaled $3.4 billion in fiscal 2022.
Subscriber momentum has not been a problem for Disney+, which added another 12.1 million paying customers last quarter to reach 164.2 million. The cost side has been far more of a concern, with executives warning during previous CEO Bob Chapek’s ill-starred final conference call with Wall Street analysts that profit and revenue would grow only by single digits in fiscal 2023. That large step-down from projected double-digit gains followed a surge in expenses, a trend Iger & Co.
Michael Paull, president of direct to consumer for Disney, said today’s launch will enable the company to “deliver greater flexibility for consumers to enjoy the full breadth and depth” of Disney offerings. Added Disney ad chief Rita Ferro, “We are committed to connecting our clients to the best storytelling in the world while delivering innovation and viewer-first experience in streaming now and in the future.
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