Roku has announced that the ad-supported Disney+ tier, Disney+ Basic, is now available to its users. When the ad-supported plan launched four months ago, many users were surprised to find that it wasn’t accessible on Roku.
At the time, Disney told TechCrunch that it was still in talks with Roku about reaching an agreement that suits both parties. It was our understanding at the time that the dispute was over an ad-share agreement as, by default, channels must enter an ad-revenue split with Roku.
Now, four months later, the ad-supported plan is finally available to all users of Roku’s streaming devices. Disney+ Basic (With Ads) costs $7.99 a month, while Disney+ Premium (No Ads) costs $10.99 a month.
Disney+ Basic lets viewers stream high-quality video, including Full HD, HDR10, 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision and Expanded Aspect Ratio with IMAX Enhanced. It also lets subscribers stream on up to four supported devices simultaneously. Plus, the ad plan includes Disney+’s full content catalog. Ads on the tier range from 15 to 30 or 45 seconds long. Disney+ has also limited the total ad load to an average of four minutes of commercials an hour. Preschool content has zero ads.
The plan, however, does not allow for offline viewing or downloads. Other features not included in the Disney+ Basic are GroupWatch, SharePlay and Dolby Atmos. A Disney spokesperson told TechCrunch last December that the company hopes to support this in the future, but the exact timing is unknown.
Disney+ notes on its support website that once users have updated the Disney+ app to the latest version, they will be able to start streaming Disney+ Basic on Roku.