Disney is considering adding a free tier to Disney+: report

Disney is reportedly exploring a free tier for Disney+. As first reported by Business Insider, Disney chief product and technology officer Adam Smith spoke during a company town hall last week about making some of its streaming service content available without a paywall. However, Smith didn’t clarify when this might be introduced or how much programming it [...]

Disney is reportedly exploring a free tier for Disney+. As first reported by Business Insider, Disney chief product and technology officer Adam Smith spoke during a company town hall last week about making some of its streaming service content available without a paywall. However, Smith didn’t clarify when this might be introduced or how much programming it could include.

Still, this would be a notable offer from Disney. While many streamers, including Disney+, have introduced lower-cost, ad-enabled tiers over the past few years, a free subscription would be something else entirely. Currently, Disney+ with Ads runs about four minutes of commercials per hour, so it’s unclear how many more ads would play during this proposed free tier.

This move would also help Disney better compete with YouTube. The company also introduced vertical video in the U.S. earlier this year. Curiously, Business Insider‘s report also coincides with Netflix bringing back 30-day free trials in select foreign markets like India.

Clearly, streamers are experimenting with ways to reduce barriers to entry. It remains to be seen what else they might do with respect to free offerings. Image credit: Disney