CEO Josh D'Amaro Confirms Disney+ is Exploring a Free Tier

While not announced, Disney is exploring ways to compete with other free-to-watch video platforms.

During today’s earnings call, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro confirmed that the company is exploring a free tier for their Disney+ streaming service.

What’s Happening:

Earlier in July, we reported that insiders shared that Disney was exploring adding a free membership tier to Disney+, and today’s, August 5th, earnings call proved that to be true.
While it was not officially announced as something Disney will be implementing, The Verge shared that CEO Josh D’Amaro addressed the speculation during the call.
D’Amaro confirmed that they are “exploring a free product for consumers” in hopes to expand growth and reach “to a customer segment that’s more price sensitive.”
While, again, D’Amaro shared that this was something in the works, he made sure to clarify that it’s “definitely something that [they’re] considering” rather than something that is being formally implemented.
It looks like we will have to wait and see exactly how this will play out, but a model similar to YouTube may be a good way to view it, with content featuring a higher frequency of ads and a limited content library.
Disney+ is looking to continue to evolve, including bringing games, merchandise, and other experiences to the platform, with the expanded platform set to begin rolling out in Spring of 2027.
During today’s call we also learned more about Disney’s use of AI, additional ESPN Sports content heading to Disney+, and that the company will continue with rounds of layoffs to decrease company costs.

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