Disney+ has introduced a whole new structure for its subscriptions, with three new options for users to choose from.
Until now, Disney+ has only offered one subscription model in the UK, costing £7.99 per month and providing users with full 4K HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio.
The new structure for Disney+ comprises three tiers: ‘Standard with Ads’, ‘Standard’, and ‘Premium’. The company has confirmed price hikes at the top end, while the new cheaper membership containing ads will be available in an attempt to balance things out.
At the cheaper end, the ‘Standard with Ads’ subscription tier will cost £4.99 per month and will allow two concurrent viewers, 5.1 surround sound, and up to 1080p Full HD video quality.
Disney has also confirmed that ads will not appear at all in ‘Junior mode’ and certain pre-school content. Some other nice touches include ad placement appearing on the content’s timeline (so you know when to expect them), adverts limited to the start and end of movies, and less than four minutes of advertising per hour.
Alongside the ‘Standard with Ads’ subscription, Disney will also offer two ad-free options, ‘Standard’ and ‘Premium’. Standard is priced at £7.99 and offers the same video quality and features as the cheaper tier, however, is notably ad-free and allows users to download shows and movies on up to ten devices.
The ‘Premium’ tier will cost £10.99 a month and offers 4K UHD and HDR video, four concurrent viewers, downloads to 10 devices, and Dolby Atmos support.
This all means that current Disney+ subscribers paying £7.99 per month for 4K video will have to spend extra on the £10.99 ‘Premium’ package in order to retain the same video quality and features.
While Disney has tried to balance things out with the introduction of a cheaper subscription and has added quality-of-life measures for users of this package, overall this news will likely be disappointing for many. Those who appreciate video and audio quality, and want to continue accessing 4K video and Dolby Atmos audio, will have to pay more from now on.
Considering the cost of living crisis, one can only imagine that these constant hikes to streaming service subscription costs cannot continue forever, as more and more customers will have to consider which subscriptions to prioritise keeping. Netflix has recently announced a £2 increase on its Premium and Basic plans, while Apple TV+ also saw the same increase to its subscription fee.
Here is a full breakdown of the three new subscription tiers and what is on offer with each:
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