Disney Raising Prices Days After Confirming Ads Will Now Show Up on Every Tier
Disney’s decision to raise Disney+ prices while reserving the right to show ads even on “ad‑free” or premium tiers is seen as part of a broader shift toward more aggressive monetization in streaming. Commenters argue this erodes trust, blurs the meaning of “ad‑free,” and pushes people back toward piracy, physical media, or self‑hosted solutions like Jellyfin. Many tie the move to weak consumer protection, oligopolistic media power, and an “enshittification” cycle where services worsen until users finally cancel.
Reaction to Disney+ Price Hike and Ads
- Many see ads on all tiers plus higher prices as a “punishment model,” likening it to cable bundle creep and “protection racket” tactics (pay more to get back what you already had).
- Several say they will cancel at the first pre‑ or mid‑roll ad, especially after similar moves by Netflix and Amazon Prime.
- Others believe most subscribers will grumble but stay, citing inertia, family pressure, and lack of obvious legal alternatives for kids’ content and sports.
Enshittification, Capitalism, and Consumer Rights
- Repeated theme: platforms launch cheap and good, then progressively add ads, raise prices, and degrade service to meet growth and shareholder demands.
- Some frame this as a predictable outcome of low‑regulation, perpetual‑growth capitalism; others emphasize cultural acceptance of “if you don’t like it, don’t use it” instead of collective pushback.
- There are calls for stronger consumer rights (e.g., cases where ad‑free plans adding ads mid‑term led to legal refunds in other countries).
Piracy, Self‑Hosting, and Physical Media
- Many say this behavior actively pushes them back to piracy and home media servers (Jellyfin/Plex + *arr tools + “Linux ISOs”).
- Physical media plus ripping is argued to become more attractive each year, though others note rising storage prices and shrinking availability of discs and players.
- Some adopt a hybrid: buy discs or digital copies on sale, rip or back up, and ignore streaming.
Advertising Fatigue and Skepticism
- Strong hostility to paying and still seeing ads, especially for children.
- Several try to never buy products advertised to them, or mentally blacklist “sponsored” results.
- Debate over effectiveness: some insist ads obviously work or they wouldn’t be so pervasive; others doubt current high‑intensity digital advertising delivers meaningful incremental sales.
Alternatives and Coping Strategies
- Strategies include: rotating single subscriptions, heavy use of libraries (DVDs and Kanopy/Hoopla), YouTube, niche music/video services, or dropping TV entirely.
- Some argue we already have more quality legacy content than anyone can watch; new “slop” is unnecessary.
Debate over Regulation and Monopolies
- Proposals: regulate ad‑free tiers (binding no‑ads contracts), revive antitrust against vertically integrated media/streaming, or even consumer‑owned co‑op streaming services.
- Others are pessimistic, arguing current laws and political incentives favor large media corporations.
Ambiguity About What Changes Actually Do
- A minority argue the ToS changes mainly legalize promos and live‑TV ads, noting regional differences and Disney statements; others see it as an obvious beachhead for broader ad insertion later.