Disney is following through with the promise it made in March that a cheaper Disney Plus is coming later this year.
According to Disney, the company will roll out the "Disney+ Basic" on December 8 this year. The ad-supported plan will cost $7.99 a month, displacing the current ad-free plan. Also, Disney is enacting a price hike for the ad-free plan, "Disney+ Premium", on the same day. You'll need to spend $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year (a significant jump from the current $79.99) if you want to watch your favorite Disney+ shows without ads.
If you're worried that Disney+ wants subscribers to shell out more to skip ads, don't be. Disney CEO Bob Chapek reassured audiences during the company's third-quarter earnings call that the Basic plan will have "lower ad load and frequency to ensure a great experience for viewers." To be more specific, Disney intends to keep ad breaks to around four minutes an hour.
In addition, kids' profiles won't have ads. Finally, Disney is expecting the ad-supported tier to launch on all international markets by next year.