There’s no doubt that there’s competition between the streaming platforms. At one point in time, it was either Netflix or Prime Video, and then Disney, Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal added platforms. There are other smaller options as well if you’re looking for something dedicated to British TV, international TV, or even Paramount content.
So, the companies need to be a little more competitive, and Disney+ may have figured out the major addition that’s needed. What about making a subscription level free?
Disney+ Looks at a Free Tier
GettyThe Hollywood Reporter shared that during the latest earnings call, CEO Josh D’Amaro said that the company is looking at a way to make the platform more enticing. That is through a “free product for consumers,” and it appears that the streamer is looking to tap into a market that would like to view Disney movies and shows but isn’t able to due to the economy.
In short, the company would add a FAST subscription. FAST stands for free, ad-supported channels, which are something that the Roku Channel, Tubi, and Pluto TV are well known for. It’s possible to watch content without a paid subscription, but there are advertisements at the start, during, and after an episode or movie.
It stands out from competitors, such as Prime Video and Netflix, which have offered ad-supported tiers but at a cost. Amazon made headlines in recent years due to suddenly adding ads to its main subscription despite never doing so before. If people wanted to get rid of the ads, they would need to pay extra each month.
Netflix has said in the past that it could consider offering a free subscription in some markets. However, nothing has happened yet, and co-CEO Greg Peters recently made it clear that there are “no near-term plans” for it.
Nothing In the Works for Disney Just Yet
GettyWhile this was something exciting to add to the earnings call, Disney+ has not made anything official just yet. This is something that is currently being discussed.
What D’Amaro did explain was that something like this could benefit both the ad revenue growth and the Disney+ subscriber growth. He didn’t go into too many details, and the company has stopped reporting subscriber numbers now. However, the SVOD entertainment revenue, including Disney+ and Hulu, sat at $712 million during the earnings call, seeing a substantial increase from 2025.
It’s clear that viewers love FAST services for movies and TV shows. Tubi and Roku Channel captured 2.3% and 3.1%, respectively, in the month of May. All these free platforms are seeing increased promotion and discussion, as people find a way to cut the costs of subscription models while still cutting the cord. It would put Disney+ ahead of its main competitors, like Netflix and Amazon, by being the first to offer a free tier.
Fans have taken to Reddit to point out a flaw in Disney’s words. The biggest issue is that Hulu used to have a tier that was free and ad-supported, but the company decided to do away with it. Others have noted that this could allow Disney to remove all its content from YouTube, which has seen a boost in subscribers and activity, with one user saying, “I’m surprised other streamers haven’t started going after youtube’s market. They’re out here throwing hundreds of millions at tv shows and youtube gets their productions for free. Netflix could probably actually increase the quality of their content with a free user-submitted channel.”
For now, nothing is guaranteed, but it’s something to keep a close eye on.
