Disney Hikes Prices While Expanding Ads to Premium Tier

Disney+ is losing ground in the streaming competition. Its flagship original shows fail to crack Nielsen’s top 20 most-watched series despite major investments in Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Internal viewership data reveals numbers more comparable to broadcast television than premium streaming content. The platform’s original shows won no Emmy awards this year.

Against declining viewership, Disney made two concurrent moves: raising premium tier prices 13% to $21.49 monthly and expanding advertisements to all plans. Through a terms-of-service update, the company now permits ads, sponsorships, and promotional content across every tier—including the premium plan previously marketed as completely ad-free. Disney frames this as a clarification of existing terms, though the practical effect is new: premium subscribers now encounter promotional material and trailers before and after content. Mid-show ads remain exclusive to the lowest tier. Disney attributes the change partly to ESPN’s platform integration and expanded sports advertising footprint.

The price increase arrives just days after the terms change, concentrating both moves into a brief window. Together, they raise costs for premium subscribers while reducing the service distinction they pay for.