Today, Disney+ UK is introducing a shake-up in its pricing structure by separating its subscriptions into three tiers. One of these is a new Standard with Ads plan, which costs £4.99 per month. However, if you predominantly use Disney+ for younger kids, you may still be able to avoid ads while using it.
Switching to the cheaper plan means you save £3 per month (or £36 per year) compared to the standard price of £7.99 per month whilst still enjoying the likes of Bluey, Peppa Pig and Mickey and Friends all ad-free.
At a media briefing, Deborah Armstrong, Country Manager UK & I, GM Media Networks and Advertising EMEA, said: “You won’t see any ads in Junior Mode – previously called Kids Mode… also in a curated selection of our pre-school content, which is 0-6+, you won’t see advertising there either, irrespective of what profile you’ve logged into”.
If you’ve got slightly older children, you will have to put up with commercial breaks. However, the types of adverts have been selectively chosen, as Armstrong adds: “…the type of advertising that we serve that will be restricted experience, appropriate for children… we’re also very mindful that even if you’re not a child, you are likely to perhaps be watching with younger audiences… so we’ve thought about that too”.
Armstrong also confirmed to Tech Advisor that mid-roll ads have been selectively placed across all content, rather than added in at random – a big plus over some rivals which are certainly guilty of interrupting the flow of your viewing experience.
Disney
Going ad-free is still an option, of course. You can remain on the Standard plan at £7.99 per month . However, the quality here will now be capped at 1080p (the same is true of the Standard with Ads plan). If you want ad-free 4K content, then you’ll need to upgrade to the new Disney+ Premium tier for £10.99 per month .
The ad-free plans also include annual options for £79.90 per month and £109.90 per month. But there’s no yearly subscription available for the new Standard with Ads plan.
Whilst a price increase for 4K content is an unwelcome change during this time of economic uncertainty, it comes as no surprise. Just last month, Disney+ increased its subscription costs in the US , where the plans are slightly different as Hulu remains as a standalone subscription, rather than having content integrated via the Star section.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
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