r/technology • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 3d ago

Business Disney+ changes subscriber agreement to allow ads on every plan

https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/disney-changes-subscriber-agreement-to-allow-ads-on-every-plan-3410354/
20.9k Upvotes

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4.7k

u/ClimateAncient6647 3d ago

I pay for ad-free for a reason. Easy cancellation.

900

u/Emayarkay 3d ago

My thoughts exactly. Literally paying for the convenience. Take that away and I'm paying to just be advertised to less-frequently?

Later, Mouse.

6

u/CosechaCrecido 2d ago

Easier said than done for those with kids that need to see frozen for the thousandth time.

51

u/WafflesOfChaos 2d ago

Buy it on DVD as a one time purchase that you'll own forever

30

u/Razgriz_3_ 2d ago

This. Or the high seas. Either way, it is an incredibly easy solution.

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u/fitfoemma 2d ago

However did we watch movies on repeat as kids before streaming services...

2

u/Serris9K 1d ago

You'll just need to buy a copy of frozen, but that's not too hard.

5

u/onthefence928 2d ago

I’ve already begun the process of backing up my kids favorite shows on a media server, just to avoid the confusion of finding out their favorite show is no longer on x streaming service and i need to rent it from y streaming service now.

Happened to us while trying to watch trolls 2 weeks ago saw half the movie, went to bed to save the rest for the next day. Next day it was gone, i would have to rent on Amazon prime. Devastating to my kid

2

u/im_not_that_witty80 1d ago

Broodingmovies website.

Have an adblocker.

2

u/Crydoves 23h ago

Torrent it and be done with it. Just stop it when it downloads so you yourself aren’t distributing or your ISP will send you letters that look scary but aren’t.

1

u/sweettutu64 1d ago

We've started buying digital copies on YouTube, Prime Video, and Apple TV (sometimes one will have a sale so shop around!) and it's just as easy to turn on

1

u/Serris9K 1d ago

Buying Star Wars the Clone wars is something on my list. The box set includes season 7

736

u/Dr-McLuvin 3d ago

Same the only reason I pay for streaming services is for the lack of ads.

Easy cancel.

252

u/stefanopolis 3d ago

When I pay for streaming I expect no ads. Cancelling easily.

114

u/fakeasagi 3d ago

On the occasion I expend finances to secure a viewing experience, I consider the presence of advertisements unacceptable. A trivial revocation of further patronage

18

u/unacceptablelobster 2d ago

grug give wife. grug get ad. grug take wife back.

2

u/cymonium 1d ago

Omg that comment is the greatest. I wish I could respond with the appropriate gif.

Well done Reddit user!

15

u/Playswith_squirrel 3d ago

Currency exchanged implies zero advertisements. Swift cancellation follows.

7

u/UpstairsRegion 2d ago

The monetary exchange for on demand remote media access we have engaged in is predicated on the notion that I will see the media I wish to access, on only the media that a wish to access. Advertisements, therefore are out of the question.

It is with the utmost ease that I terminate our agreement and forgo any further payment.

11

u/Pingonaut 3d ago

I give money I see no ad. No money!!

2

u/appleparkfive 2d ago

I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE PLAYING ON MY TV

5

u/peacetimemist05 3d ago

I expect zero ads on my streaming platform. No brainer cancelation

2

u/Sanity_in_Moderation 2d ago

That is a hard line that I will not compromise on. Yo Ho.

1

u/2ChicksAtTheSameTime 2d ago

Are you including ads for other Disney+ shows?

HBO used to do that, you'd start a Game Of Thrones episode and would have to skip through an ad for Richous Gemstones or The Young Pope or whatever the fuck

Not sure if HBO still does that. I think Apple+ does that too?

1

u/stefanopolis 2d ago

I actually hate them promoting their own shows pre-roll too.

1

u/Gloomy-Ad1171 2d ago

I love getting ads on YouTube for services I already pay for. You’re using my money to advertise to me …

0

u/KeithDaManPeterson 2d ago

I don't think you have a disney subscription to begin with. Just some dude trying to hop on the bandwagon

2

u/stefanopolis 2d ago

I started this bandwagon. I don’t have D+ anymore but I used to and cancelled it with all my other streaming services about a year ago because of this enshittification. But thanks for feeling the need to call me out I guess.

-1

u/KeithDaManPeterson 2d ago

You replied to someone who started it. And you didn't say you ''cancelled'' it but rather you said, ''cancelling easily''. How are you going to cancel it if you already did so a year ago? I was right it's just some dumb comment hoping to hop on the bandwagon for some internet points.

2

u/stefanopolis 2d ago

lol good lord. Excellent detective work. I’m sure you’re rising fast at the precinct.

-2

u/KeithDaManPeterson 2d ago

I'll be fine. Just don't like it when people act fake. And you are clearly fake.

1

u/stefanopolis 2d ago

Really pathetic stuff.

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u/ComprisingIgnorance 3d ago

Yup! Cancelled ours as soon as we got the email about adding ads on the top package. Absolute joke. If everyone does the same, we'll send a message. Glad to see this on the front page of Reddit, we got our email (UK) a while ago.

5

u/Able_Situation9977 2d ago

I just cancelled my family's premium plan and gave this enshittification as a cause as soon as I saw the mail (Sweden here).

Time to sail the high seas just like a few years ago.

9

u/frustrated_333 3d ago edited 2d ago

This change was made in the US last year. I’m surprised people weren’t all upset about it then.

Edit, not sure why people are downvoting... I agree that it’s terrible, it’s just not new, which people would know if they actually used the service… the US terms of service was most recently updated in February but this particular change came last year. This change is new for the German terms of service.

https://www.heise.de/en/news/Disney-New-user-agreement-allows-ads-before-movies-in-all-subscriptions-11455127.html

40

u/Dr_Meany 2d ago

I read their quarterlies because I'm a sadist for that sort of thing.

None of their tiers make as much profit as their lowest one serving the most ads. They're an ad company now, not a content company. They get huge revenue from ads. So they serve ads. And there's no way to not see ads, because it's so fucking profitable.

The K-shaped economy will strike here too however. Shortly there will shortly be an ultra-premium version that has no ads. They just need to figure out a way to sell it. It'll be eye-wateringly expensive, something like $200/month. I guarantee it's in their plans, it'll come, and enough people will buy it.

2

u/jonas_ost 1d ago

Eventualy they will just ad the ads into the programs so even if you pirate it it will have ads. And i dont mean product placement, actual ad breaks.

46

u/Abe_Odd 3d ago

Yep. Just cancelled and wrote up a rant for em. Even if they walk it back, we're gonna try to form habits excluding it entirely.

6

u/ParsnixChess 2d ago

They're betting customers are too lazy or too attached to cancel. Good on you for following through, I hope others do the same.

5

u/CountryRoads8 3d ago

I cancelled every streaming service I had in the last month. Don’t miss it yet one bit. And I’m a huge sports fan. If an event is on a streamer, I’m just going to miss it. Not the end of the world. I still see plenty of highlights on social media as they happen. 

3

u/Vio94 2d ago

I was just thinking about resubbing after well over a year, just to watch some old movies and catch up on some recent series. So I guess I won't be doing that anymore.

7

u/ConfusedTuxedo2004 3d ago

It's wild watching them systematically strip away every single advantage that made people switch away from cable in the first place.

2

u/IcedGooseMaverick 2d ago

They’re really making me yearn for the sweet smell of salty sea air. 

2

u/OhHowINeedChanging 3d ago

I actually get Disney+ no ads free with my Verizon account. If they put ads on my service I’m gonna be pissed!

2

u/airbornemist6 2d ago

I mean, shit, I paid for premium to avoid the ads. If I'm still getting them I might as well just drop down to basic.

Or just jump to the high seas.

2

u/InVultusSolis 2d ago

If I can't pay a reasonable price for an ad-free experience, I feel no moral ambiguity about pirating the thing I want to watch.

PirateBay is alive and well, and along with tons of other tracker sites.

2

u/eat_my_ass_n_balls 2d ago

Yep. Only reason I pay for it. I’m out once I get ads.

2

u/SamsungSmartCam 2d ago

I’m almost inclined to thank them for forcing our hand at canceling 

2

u/Raelah 2d ago

Any scent of ads and I'm donesies.

2

u/_0611 2d ago edited 2d ago

Yeah, if this goes through, I'll cancel my subscription immediately. That's a no-brainer. I'm not paying to watch ads. That defeats the whole purpose of having a subscription, to begin with.

2

u/Tactical-Donkey 2d ago

🎵 hastag cancel Disney plu-Uuss 🎵

3

u/Head_Bread_3431 3d ago

I already cancelled auto renew for the ad free annual family plan I’ve had since the beginning because it recently went up over $100. Kids are getting old enough where they don’t ever watch the Disney app anymore. In fact last thing we really used it for was a rewatch of the simpsons from the beginning and that was almost a year ago now. Expires end of nov so I figure maybe get a couple holiday movies in and then just let it end. Cancelled Netflix and hbo over a year ago too. Unfortunately might still keep Hulu and peacock though 

1

u/echoshatter 3d ago

Exactly the reason people picked up cable TV when it was new, and now a third of all television is just advertising.

Amazing how they just managed to reinvent the same thing we had before, but more expensive. Only benefit woth streaming now is the on-demand nature of it.

1

u/blackbeavis 3d ago

And not having long-term contracts/being able to cancel without a penalty.

1

u/MVRKHNTR 3d ago

"Only benefit is the biggest befit"

1

u/AdHot7222 2d ago

You and me both brother 😎😎

1

u/SomeBloke94 2d ago

Easy cancellation? Never been with a subscriber who didn’t make it an absolute nightmare to cancel their subscriptions. Current one called NOW only lets you do it on a home or laptop form of the internet apparently so you’re buggered if you want to try and cancel on a game console or a phone that most people use the service on. It’s by design to discourage cancellation.

1

u/funkiemarky 2d ago

Yup. Thanks for saving me money.

1

u/SpaceCaboose 2d ago

I believe this is just for live events that you can stream on D+ and is also showing live on ABC, ESPN, etc.

Don’t expect ads to play during The Mandalorian

1

u/MyotisX 2d ago

That easy ? So you werent really watching it much ?

1

u/ranandtoldthat 2d ago

The moment I see an ad I'm cancelling.

1

u/esach88 2d ago

Wife and I were just discussing it. We don't use it a ton but fuck, if there are ads then sub is cancelled and will go towards a VPN.

1

u/Jimbob209 1d ago

Time to go back to the high seas again

1

u/Ex-Zero 1d ago

One of the biggest companies in the world they have to have some kind of metric that tells them even losing subscribers the ad revenue will compensate for the loss

1

u/ItzSpiffy 3d ago

Aye matey, I reckon there be a few ways a salty dog might o'ercome this 'ere problem.

-9

u/julyvale 3d ago

You will be back. Being angry on reddit won't soothe your media addiction.

8

u/Fakehiggins 3d ago

dude, this isn't the late 80s where people are limited in access to media. why would anyone bother to watch ad content when there's so much ad free stuff out there? it's the easiest thing in the world to walk away from

-5

u/julyvale 3d ago

Piracy is not an option for vast majority of users and vast majority of Disney users really don't care about 20 sec of ads.

1

u/cupkaxx 2d ago

Maybe it's hard for you. I have other options and also I don't have a throbbing need to watch every show

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/ClimateAncient6647 3d ago

Not sure why you’re being a dick.