Disney announced that it will launch an ad-supported version of the Disney+ service this year as it races into the next phase of its streaming expansion, which involved launching Dissney+, consolidating power in its Hulu ownership, and the continued growth of ESPN+, not to mention its bundling of all of its services with Hulu+ Live TV.
Hulu has long operated with a premium ad-free version alongside an ad-light version of the service. In fact, its ad-supported version has proven to be much more popular than the ad-free offering. HBO Max has seen strong growth with its ad-supported version as well.
As users look for ways to get access to as much content as possible without busting their budgets premium streaming options with ads have become seen as cost savings along with the fully free ad-supported streaming services like Pluto TV that have been on the rise for the past 5 years.
