Disney is launching a significant promotional effort meant to help drive subscribers to the advertising-supported tier of Disney+.
Beginning Wednesday and running through Sept. 20, Disney will offer the basic ad tier for $1.99 per month for three months. The tier normally costs $7.99 per month, making the offer an $18 savings. The offer is available to both new and returning subscribers.
While streaming services have historically offered discounts around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the Disney+ offer is meant to take advantage of a wave of new content set to hit the platform this month.
That content includes the Disney+ premiere of Pixar’s Elemental, which will debut on the service Sept. 13, Disney says. Elemental was released in theaters on June 16, and has since grossed more than $400 million globally.
Other content debuting on Disney+ in September incldue the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, which debuts Sept. 6, new episodes of the Star Wars series Ahsoka, the second season of Marvel’s I Am Groot, and a new season of Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory.
The new content, and the accompanying discount offer, is likely meant to help turbocharge subscribers to Disney+’s advertising tier. While Disney+’s core offering added 800,000 subscribers last quarter, the service as a whole lost about 12 million subs in its Hotstar offering in India and other markets.
Disney+ and other streaming services have been pushing consumers toward ad-supported tiers via price hikes to ad-free offerings and other efforts. With the ad tiers having better economics and more growth potential, they have become a strategic priority for many companies.
