Recently Disney updated the subscription agreement for Disney+, and many users are not happy; however, the change is not what many assume. In fact, it does not apply to the US at all.
"We've clarified that all Service Plans may include: (i) promotional content, (ii) sponsorships, and (iii) advertisements before/after playback of Content and in channels, live/as-live, special events, and any third-party services content."
This update clearly states that Disney has the right to include promotional content and ads before and after content, as well as during live events, but it does not mean Disney is adding traditional advertising to its ad-free plans.
Important note about this however: this notification was sent out to customers across Europe, and does not include subscribers in the US. This was confirmed to us by Disney themselves, with the full official statement below.With that being said, what is actually changing? Not a lot.
What the Change Really Means for those in the EU:
In the current version of Disney+, promotional content plays before and after movies. These advertisements let viewers know about seasonal specials currently available on Disney+ or promote other Disney movies available on the service. While these ads can be skipped instantly, there is no denying they are still advertisements. The change to the subscription agreement simply protects Disney if someone were to challenge them for seeing an ad while paying for an ad-free plan.
The other part of this change stems from the full Hulu merger scheduled for the near future. While many Hulu shows and movies have already made the jump, some remain absent from Disney+, and Live TV has yet to be transferred over. Because Live TV is live, blocking advertisements on these channels is impossible. This policy is already clearly stated in the Hulu subscription agreement and needed to be reflected on Disney+.
Additionally, not all Hulu content is ad-free—even for subscribers paying for the ad-free add-on. This is due to licensing agreements with content providers, which neither Hulu nor Disney can control (outside of dropping the show or movie from their service). This exception was already outlined in the Hulu agreement and needed to be clearly spelled out in the Disney+ agreement as well.
Disney Has Not Announced Plans to Include Full Advertisements:
With all of this being said, Disney has not announced plans to use this updated agreement in any way beyond what it is already doing: advertising additional Disney+ content within Disney+ while giving viewers the option to skip past it. This is the same practice Disney has always used with home media releases on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray, though on VHS users had to physically fast-forward instead of simply pressing a skip button.
If anything changes, we will revise this article, but this is the current state of Disney+ following the subscription agreement update, and how Hulu itself has operated for years. You can learn more about this via their Official Website.
Official Statement Provided to us by Disney:
An updated Subscriber Agreement was recently sent to Disney+ customers across Europe. Subscribers in the US did not receive an updated agreement.
The update does not change the viewing experience for customers on Disney+ Standard or Premium plans in Europe. Or the plans here in the US.
Live content may include advertising or sponsored content, and customers may also see promotional content, such as trailers for Disney movies and series. Similar provisions have been included in previous Subscriber Agreements, so this is not a change. Promos before/after content are also pretty standard across streaming. You may notice services like HBO Max play promos before a show/movie begins, even on their ad-free plan.
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