This week saw The Walt Disney Company roll out Disney+ Basic, a new tier for their streaming services that is a few dollars cheaper but comes with ads within most of its content. The allure of a cheaper subscription is one that has enticed some viewers to change their plans but some are finding out the hard way that their new Disney+ subscriptions can't even be watched the way that they want to. TechCrunch was quick to notice that this new ad-based tier is "not currently available on Roku devices," meaning anyone with this subscription and a Roku is without a way to watch.
As with almost anything in this sphere it would appear that the cause for Disney+ Basic not appearing on Roku is down to one big thing, money. A rep for Disney revealed to the outlet that they are "in talks with Roku about reaching an agreement that suits both parties," one that TechCrunch guesses is about ad-revenue splitting. For what it's worth, financial analyst Michael Nathanson previously predicted that an ad-based tier of Disney+ had the potential to generate nearly $2 billion in revenue by 2025, a piece of the pie that Roku would be missing if it were allowed to happen through their devices (which also sell ads on their own content). This not only effects people with the Disney+ Basic subscription but anyone with a bundle that also has Disney+ Basic
The sudden surprise that Disney+ Basic isn't available on Roku devices, something Disney+ acknowledges on its Help Center page, hasn't gone unnoticed. Many users who switched from the higher tier to a cheaper one were caught off guard and several are threatening to cancel their subscription completely. Check out what people are saying and let us know your feelings below!
(Cover photo Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
that's bull
prevnextWow…. So guess if you just have the cheap “with adds” Disney + you can’t use it on anything roku.. fing really that’s bull 🤬
— Kain(slow) (@a_nimeFan) December 9, 2022
What. The. Hell?!!!
prevnextWhat. The. Hell?!!! 😑😑😑😑😑
Roku & Disney+, y’all need to work out whatever you need to work out, causes this is unacceptable!
— Alyssa Lopez (@AlyssaLopez92) December 9, 2022
Those are not Mickey sanctioned words, but yes
prevnextDisney+ with ads isn't available on Roku. U serious @Disney ? That's some fucked up shit
— Jeremy A 🧀 (@Jeremy3Tears) December 9, 2022
Have to cancel
prevnextIs it true you dropped support for Roku? If so, I have to cancel D+
— Steve Martin (@CdnSteveMartin) December 9, 2022
Truly disappointing
prevnextBetween this and all the recent changes at the parks, Disney seems intent on making it more difficult, expensive, or (more often than not) both to be a Disney fan. Truly disappointing to watch the company keep showing how little it actually cares about its consumers as of late.
— Ink and Paint in the Parks (@InkPaintParks) December 9, 2022
Found out the hard way
prevnextGuess I’m cancelling @disneyplus since they raised their prices and I tried to opt in to the version with ads. At the time of switching over, nowhere did it say it didn’t work with Roku devices. Found out the hard way.
— MAGIC Lamp! (@rainfell_key) December 9, 2022
gtfoh
prevnextI tried to watch Disney plus in my room & they talking bout I gotta upgrade it because you gotta have it without the Ads on Roku 😭😭😭😭😭 gtfoh
— 🧊🥶💙 (@KkCookin) December 10, 2022
Guess I'll be cancelling
prevnextDisney+ with ads doesn't work on Roku? Wth?
Guess I'll be cancelling Disney+ then...
— Matt Linder (@dofbutterflies) December 10, 2022
Huge disappointment
prev1commentsLoyal @DisneyPlus customer here. Signed up on day one back in 2019. I switched to the basic plan and now can’t watch on my @Roku. Huge disappointment.
— Saablazer (@saablazer) December 9, 2022
