Streaming started out as an escape from the monopolistic excesses of cable TV. The promise was on-demand programming free from ad breaks. But as the big streaming companies scramble to keep increasing revenue, they’ve all retreated back into offering ad-subsidized subscription tiers. Now Disney+ is updating its fine print to let it force anyone to see an ad, no matter what tier they’ve paid for.
“Changes to your Disney+ Subscriber Agreement, include, in summary, the following (though we do encourage you to read the new Subscriber Agreement in full),” read a notice to UK subscribers first reported on by Dexerto (via IGN). “We’ve clarified that all Service Plans may include: (i) promotional content, (ii) sponsorships, and (iii) advertisements before/after playback of Content and in channels, live/as-live, special events, and any third-party services content.”
Disney+ offers the basic tier with ads for $12 a month or the premium tier with no ads for $19 a month. What this updated language “clarifies” is that while premium subscribers won’t be forced to watch ad breaks in the middle of shows and movies, they can still be shown ads when things roll over in the queue or as promotional displays elsewhere in the app. Basically, no matter how much you pay Disney, you’ll be unable to have a completely ad-free experience.
The company hiked prices on Disney+ roughly a year ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen again as we enter another big MCU hype cycle. Avengers: Endgame Encore hits theaters this month with some added content ahead of Avengers: Doomsday in December. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the biggest Marvel box office hit in a while, is also likely set to come to the streaming service at some point this fall.