- Disney has denied that ad-free tiers on Disney+ will start showing ads during movies and shows
- Last weekend, reports emerged that ad breaks would become commonplace for all fans
- Some users furiously closed their accounts over the incorrect claims
Disney+ fans have been left angered — and then confused — after incorrect reports implied that they’d be subjected to ads even if they were subscribed to one of its ad-free experiences.
Last weekend (September 19/20), images were shared on the ResetEra forums and other social media platforms that showed an updated Subscriber Agreement for European users.
One screenshot of the revised document appeared to indicate that, even those subscribed to the more ad-free expensive tiers — i.e. Standard and Premium — might soon see “promotional content, sponsorship, and advertisements before/after playback of Content and in channels, live/as-live, special events, and any third-party services content”.
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Understandably, it didn’t take long for users to lash out at Disney over the supposed change. As fan fury quickly gained traction online, numerous outlets picked up on the story and ran with it, too, further fuelling the growing fan indignation.
However, everyone has jumped the gun. In a statement shared with German language website anime2you.de, Disney denied the rumors were true, and clarified that ad-free subscribers wouldn’t start to see traditional ad breaks while watching movies and TV shows. Furthermore, a moderator post on the Disney+ Reddit page reconfirmed Disney’s stance, adding that “nothing” has changed for Standard and Premium customers.
Responding to a request for comment from TechRadar, Disney reaffirmed that Standard and Premium users wouldn’t be shown during movies and TV shows.
Before publishing this story, TechRadar also investigated whether ads had been added to the Standard and Premium experience. And, while trailers and other promotional materials appear before and after a movie or TV show begins (NB: Disney+ has done this for a while now), we confirmed that ads do not interrupt your viewing experience on these plans.
A minor inconvenience, or a big blow?
So, why the confusion? As explained in the aforementioned Reddit thread, Disney — and other corporations, for that matter — occasionally make changes to their Terms of Service agreements. These tweaks are made to make things clearer for anyone who reads such documents — and, by proxy, reduce the legal risk posed to major companies.
The irony, of course, is that, by updating its user agreement, Disney didn’t make things easier to understand, because this online maelstrom wouldn’t have happened if it had.
As much as the House of Mouse has tried to limit the damage created by this, it has further eroded trust with small sections of its fanbase and, as the above Reddit posts exemplify, even led to some viewers canceling their Disney+ subscription.
Admittedly, those that have unsubscribed over this will be a mere drop in the ocean of the streamer’s 100 million+ userbase. Nonetheless, it’s done a small but seemingly significant amount of damage to the reputation of Disney+. We’ll see if it takes a further hit if, in October, the entertainment giant announces the inevitable yearly price hike to Disney+ and Hulu that’s been a staple of the industry for the last few years.
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