With new episodes of The Mandalorian dropping this month, and after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made its way to the streamer in February, fans no longer have to miss out on catching these titles and more on Disney+. Would-be subscribers holding off on paying for a Disney+ subscription can now grab an awesome limited-time deal that will knock a few bucks off the typical subscription price.
For a limited time only, Disney+ has dropped the price of its recently-launched Disney+ Basic plan. Although the plan typically costs $7.99 per month, under the current deal, would-be subscribers can get it for just $6.99 per month. New and returning subscribers are eligible for the promotion, which will give them the discounted price for three months. After those three months are up, the price will return to its normal $7.99 mark. Per Tom’s Guide, the sale is valid through Monday, March 6. You can subscribe to Disney+ here.
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Launched in December, the Disney+ Basic plan is the streamer’s first ad-supported tier. Those subscribed to the tier will have video interrupted by ads, with the tier including approximately four minutes of ads per hour, with 15- and 30-second spots. Ads are not included on kids and preschool programming. The company first announced the ad-supported tier in March 2022, saying that it is “viewed as a building block in the company’s path to achieving its long-term target of 230-260 million Disney+ subscribers,” with Disney Advertising Sales president Rita Ferro sharing upon its launch that it will expand to a “full suite of ad products” over time.
The discount on the subscription plan comes amid a troubling time for the streamer, which launched in November 2019. On Feb. 8, the company announced that Disney+ lost a net 2.4 million subscribers in the last three months of 2022, marking the streamer’s first decline since launching and was a larger loss than investors expected. Per Variety, the loss was driven by a 3.8 million decline in Disney+ Hotstar, the version of the service offered in India and parts of Southeast Asia. The company’s results marked Bob Iger’s first as CEO since the board removed Bob Chapek in November.
“After a solid first quarter, we are embarking on a significant transformation, one that will maximize the potential of our world-class creative teams and our unparalleled brands and franchises,” Iger said at the time. “We believe the work we are doing to reshape our company around creativity, while reducing expenses, will lead to sustained growth and profitability for our streaming business, better position us to weather future disruption and global economic challenges and deliver value for our shareholders.”
In the report, Disney’s CFO Christine McCarthy said the ad-supported Disney+ tier has received a positive response. In addition to Disney+ Basic, the streamer also offers Disney+ Premium, an-ad free subscription plan that costs $10.99 per month or $109 annually.
