- Disney+ is reportedly mulling over a completely free tier with ads
- The cheapest tier already includes some adverts
- We’re seeing streaming platforms become more like traditional TV
The line between streaming platforms and traditional TV continues to blur: there’s a fresh report that Disney+ is considering adding a free tier to its platform, completely supported by ads, so some shows and movies could be watched without paying anything.
This comes from Business Insider, which says that “people familiar with the matter” have revealed that Disney+ product and tech chief Adam Smith mentioned the possibility of a free tier during a town hall meeting inside the company on Thursday (July 9).
Those are all the details we have, for now — so it’s just a possibility. Smith didn’t give any indication of when the free tier might be offered to consumers, or how much of the Disney+ library might be available without paying anything.
There is some indication from Business Insider that Disney+ is worried about YouTube and its continued growth. While you can opt to pay for YouTube Premium, all of the content on the platform is available for free, with opts.
Free vs paid-for
Disney is exploring adding a free tier to Disney+ as YouTube draws TV viewers | The tier would enable accessibility to some 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 such as Pluto TV and Tubi that are built entirely around free, ad-supported streaming television (known as FAST).
Statistics from Nielsen, quoted by Business Insider, say that the three largest free streamers accounted for 18.7% of watch time in the US in April 2026, up from 16.8% a year earlier, and 12.7% the year before that — figures 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 television” and a quip that “we’re just getting TV again huh” summing up the general sentiment among users.
One poster suggests the new tier would be “unwatchable” given how many ads already appear on the cheapest Disney+ tier, while another airs concerns that a completely free tier would eventually come with a monthly cost as time goes on.
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