Paying Too Much for Streaming? Disney+ Free Tier Is in the Works
UPDATE 8/5: Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro has confirmed that the company is exploring a free tier for Disney+. "Second, unlike a lot of our AVOD [advertising-based video on demand] competitors, we’re fairly well sold, meaning more inventory would actually help us accelerate our ad revenue growth. Disney's chief product and technology officer, Adam Smith, reportedly discussed the possibility of a free tier during an internal company town hall earlier this week.
- ▪UPDATE 8/5: Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro has confirmed that the company is exploring a free tier for Disney+.
- ▪"Second, unlike a lot of our AVOD [advertising-based video on demand] competitors, we’re fairly well sold, meaning more inventory would actually help us accelerate our ad revenue growth.
- ▪Disney's chief product and technology officer, Adam Smith, reportedly discussed the possibility of a free tier during an internal company town hall earlier this week.
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| Original publisher | PCMag |
| Canonical URL | https://www.pcmag.com/news/disney-plus-free-ad-supported-streaming-tier-ceo-confirms |
| Publication time | Wed, 05 Aug 26 15:54:29 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-05T16:25:47.531Z |
| Last seen | 2026-08-05T16:25:47.531Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
UPDATE 8/5: Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro has confirmed that the company is exploring a free tier for Disney+. Responding to a question during the company’s earnings call earlier today, D’Amaro said the plan could help Disney+ achieve multiple goals, including expanding its reach among price-sensitive audiences and selling more ads to increase revenue.“First, we see it as a way to expand our reach to a customer segment that’s more price sensitive," D’Amaro said. "Second, unlike a lot of our AVOD [advertising-based video on demand] competitors, we’re fairly well sold, meaning more inventory would actually help us accelerate our ad revenue growth.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at PCMag.