Disney Plus added ads to make the service cheaper and more profitable

Disney Plus introduced an ad-supported tier in December 2022 because the service was losing money. The company charges less for the ad-supported plan—currently $7.99 per month versus $13.99 for ad-free—but makes revenue from advertisers who pay to reach Disney Plus viewers. This is the same model that cable television and streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video use.

The shift happened because Disney's streaming division had lost billions of dollars since Disney Plus launched in 2019. Adding a cheaper tier with ads attracted price-sensitive viewers while letting Disney collect advertising dollars from companies wanting to reach families and entertainment fans. If you signed up before the ads arrived, you may have kept your ad-free plan at the original price, but new subscribers now see the ad tier as the default option.

Key Takeaways

  • Disney Plus offers two plans: an ad-supported tier at $7.99 per month with commercials, and an ad-free tier at $13.99 per month.
  • The ads fund the lower price; Disney makes money from advertisers rather than only from subscriber fees on the cheaper plan.
  • You will see roughly 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour of content on the ad-supported plan, similar to traditional cable television.
  • Switching from ad-free to ad-supported, or vice versa, changes your monthly bill when ready and takes effect within 24 hours.
  • Disney Plus bundles with Hulu and ESPN Plus offer different ad combinations depending on which tier you choose for each service.

How many ads you actually see per hour

The ad-supported plan shows roughly 4 to 5 minutes of advertisements per hour of content. This is less than traditional cable television, which typically runs 8 to 10 minutes of ads per hour, but noticeably more than streaming services without ads. The exact number varies by show and movie—some content has ads only at the beginning and end, while other shows have mid-roll breaks similar to broadcast television.

Disney does not let you skip ads on the ad-supported plan. You must watch them in full before the content resumes. The ads themselves are often Disney-related—promotions for other Disney shows, movies, or services—though third-party advertisers also buy spots during popular programs.

The difference between Disney Plus tiers and pricing

Disney Plus offers two standalone plans. The Standard with Ads plan costs $7.99 per month and includes ads. The Premium plan costs $13.99 per month and has no ads. Both plans stream in the same video quality and let you watch on multiple devices, though the Premium plan allows 4 simultaneous streams while the Standard plan allows 2.

If you bundle Disney Plus with Hulu and ESPN Plus, the pricing and ad structure change. A bundle with ads on all three services costs $14.99 per month. A bundle with ads only on Hulu costs $19.99 per month. A bundle with no ads on any service costs $24.99 per month. Choosing which services get ads and which don't affects your total cost and what you see while watching.

Why Disney Plus didn't have ads at first

When Disney Plus launched in November 2019, it was ad-free across all plans. Disney positioned the service as a premium alternative to cable and other streaming platforms, betting that families would pay for a commercial-free experience. The company also wanted to build a large subscriber base quickly, so an ad-free product helped attract viewers in a crowded market.

By 2021 and 2022, however, Disney's streaming losses mounted. The company was spending billions on original content while subscriber growth slowed. Competitors like Netflix were also introducing ad-supported tiers, showing that viewers would accept ads if the price dropped enough. Disney decided to follow the same path, launching the ad-supported tier to capture price-conscious viewers and generate advertising revenue without raising prices on existing subscribers.

How to switch between ad-supported and ad-free plans

To change your plan, open the Disney Plus app or website and go to your account settings. Look for "Subscription" or "Plan Details" and select the option to change your plan. You will see both the Standard with Ads and Premium options with their current prices. Click the plan you want and confirm the change.

The change takes effect when ready for billing purposes—if you switch from Premium to Standard with Ads mid-month, your next bill will reflect the lower price. However, ads may not appear in the app for up to 24 hours after you switch. If you switch back to Premium, ads disappear right away. You can change plans as often as you want; there is no penalty for switching back and forth.

What happens if you use a family account or shared login

If multiple people watch on the same Disney Plus account, everyone sees the same plan. If the account is on the ad-supported tier, all viewers will see ads. If it is on the ad-free tier, no one sees ads. You cannot set different plans for different household members on a single account.

Disney Plus has also introduced paid sharing rules that charge extra if you share your login with people outside your household. The cost and rules vary by region, but the basic idea is that each household needs its own account. If you are sharing an account and want to avoid ads, you would need to upgrade to Premium, which costs more than the ad-supported plan.

How Disney Plus ad inventory compares to other streaming services

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Max (formerly HBO Max) all offer ad-supported tiers with similar amounts of advertising. Netflix's ad tier shows about 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour. Hulu's ad-supported plan shows 4 to 5 minutes per hour on its standard tier and 6 minutes per hour on its basic tier. Amazon Prime Video's ad-supported plan is free but shows ads, while its paid tier is ad-free. Max's ad-supported plan shows roughly 4 minutes of ads per hour.

Disney Plus sits in the middle of this range. The ad load is lighter than cable television but heavier than services that charge a single ad-free price. The trade-off is that the ad-supported plan costs significantly less, making it the entry point for budget-conscious viewers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I watch the same show on ad-free and ad-supported accounts at the same time?

No. If you have one account, everyone on it sees the same plan. If you want some people to watch ad-free and others to watch with ads, you need separate accounts. Each account has its own subscription and billing.

Do Disney Plus originals have fewer ads than licensed content?

No. Disney Plus shows the same amount of ads regardless of whether the content is a Disney original or licensed from another studio. The ad breaks are placed by Disney, not by the content creator.

What if I pause a show—do the ads still play when I resume?

Ads play at scheduled break points in the content, not based on when you pause or resume. If you pause before an ad break and resume later, the ad will still play when the content reaches that break point.

Are there any Disney Plus plans with fewer ads than the standard ad-supported tier?

No. Disney Plus offers only two plans: ad-supported at $7.99 per month and ad-free at $13.99 per month. There is no middle option with fewer ads.

Does Disney Plus show different ads based on my location or viewing history?

Disney uses viewing data and location information to target ads, similar to other streaming services. You may see different ads than another viewer, but you cannot control which ads appear or opt out of targeted advertising on the ad-supported plan.