- Disney+ would consider a completely free level with advertisements
- The cheapest tier already includes some ads
- We’re seeing streaming platforms become more like traditional TV
The line between streaming platforms and traditional television continues to blur: a new report indicates that Disney+ is considering adding a free tier to its platform, supported entirely by ads, so that certain shows and movies can be watched without paying anything.
This comes from Business Insider, who claims that “people familiar with the matter” revealed that Disney+’s chief product and technology officer, Adam Smith, raised the possibility of a free tier during a town hall meeting at the company on Thursday (July 9).
These are all the details we have at the moment – so it’s just a possibility. Smith gave no indication of when the free tier might be offered to consumers, or how much of the Disney+ library might be available without paying anything.
Business Insider reports that Disney+ is concerned about YouTube and its continued growth. Although you can choose to pay for YouTube Premium, all content on the platform is available for free, with options.
Free or paid
Disney plans to add a free tier to Disney+ as YouTube attracts viewers | The tier would allow access to certain movies and TV shows without a paywall
from r/television
While streaming platforms like Netflix and Apple TV don’t have a completely free tier, there are of course services like Pluto TV and Tubi that are built entirely around free, ad-supported streaming TV (known as FAST).
Nielsen statistics, cited by Business Insider, indicate that the three biggest free streamers accounted for 18.7% of US viewing time in April 2026, up from 16.8% a year earlier and 12.7% the year before – numbers that Disney+ will have noticed.
Reactions to the rumors on Reddit have been mixed, with the observation that “we’re so close to the streamers inventing TV” and a joke that “we’re just getting TV again, huh”, summarizing the general user sentiment.
One poster suggests the new tier would be “unwatchable” given the number of ads that already appear on the cheaper Disney+ tier, while another expresses concerns that a completely free tier would end up incurring a monthly cost over time.
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