What you need to know
- Disney+ launched its Basic tier with ads as it raises prices for other tiers.
- Disney+ Basic is not supported on Roku devices, forcing viewers to either switch streaming devices or hop up a tier to the $10.99 premium level.
- While Disney informs users of this fact through a help page, this could be due to Roku’s ad revenue split that it demands from streaming services.
Disney+ has finally launched its new ad-supported tier, but an issue with the plan has cropped up for Roku viewers.
Users trying to access Disney’s latest ad-supported streaming on a Roku device will be unable to due to lack to support. As a result, Roku users looking to watch Displey+ content will have to settle for the more expensive option. Disney’s new Basic tier costs $7.99 for U.S. viewers, while the Premium tier (without ads) gets bumped up to $10.99.
Disney has apparently confirmed on its own that its new ad-supported tier will not be supported on Roku (via TechCrunch) for now. A help page informs users that the Basic plan is not supported on Roku devices while also not being available to those watching from the Windows desktop app.
Although, it appears as though Disney is looking to bring support for the ad tier to Roku watchers as it engages in talks with the streaming company. It’s being speculated that this is due to a dispute regarding Roku’s ad revenue split.
The Disney+ launch of its new ad-supported plan became available on December 8. We’ve been expecting this for quite a while, ever since Disney detailed the plan in direct competition with Netflix, which also rollout out its own ad-supported plan in November.
Disney states it has over 100 advertisers spanning multiple major categories at launch to try and grab user attention. Users can bundle this ad-supported plan with Hulu for $9.99 a month or with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 a month.
With the Disney+ Basic plan now in our hands, the tier will still provide users with the complete library of content and other features that premium members benefit from. Basic plan owners can create up to seven profiles on their account along with concurrent viewing for watching Disney+ on multiple devices and high-quality videos.
This is a bit of a difference from Netflix, which launched its cheaper plan with a limit on the amount of content its viewers can access and enjoy.
