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There is Disney news to get excited about… then there is THIS.
Today, December 8, 2022, is the big day. The Walt Disney Company and Bob Chapek’s massive money-channeling project has come to fruition. Disney+ has officially entered the ad-supported streaming platform.
While we would think this is something Disney would do quietly… as it’s only an increase in cost to Disney+ subscribers… instead, they happily tweeted the news and bragged about their 100+ advertisers.
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek may have been removed from The Walt Disney Company, but apparently, even the grand return of CEO Bob Iger can’t stop the money-driving train from cruising through Disney+.
What was once a commercial-free streaming platform now, Disney+ subscribers will need to pay $7.99 per month for Disney+ with ads or $10.99 per month for Disney+ without ads. Plus, let’s not forget that there are currently millions left without access to the new Disney+ ad-supported tier because of Disney vs. Roku issues.
Typically, asking people for more money is kept quiet… but instead, @WaltDisneyCo took to social media to brag about their advertisers in a tweet stating:
“Today, @DisneyPlus made its highly anticipated ad-supported subscription offering available in the U.S., with more than 100 advertisers across all major categories at launch.”
Advertisers shown in the photo include several big brands such as Starbucks, Adidas, Walmart, AT&T, State Farm, Google, The Home Depot, Target, Verizon, LEGO, Chick-fil-A, and many more.
Furthermore, The Walt Disney Company does a full write-up on the “highly-anticipated” launch, stating:
“Today’s launch marks a milestone moment for Disney+ and puts consumer choice at the forefront,” said Michael Paull, president, Direct to Consumer. “With these new ad-supported offerings, we’re able to deliver greater flexibility for consumers to enjoy the full breadth and depth of incredible storytelling from The Walt Disney Company.”
Maybe we should be happy as consumers that Disney is happy that we are spending more for them to advertise?! We’re not sure about this confusing message of excitement directly from Disney.
Of course, the Disney fandom isn’t holding back on their thoughts.
One person responds to Disney’s tweet with, “Lol, I swear these multi-billion dollar companies actually think the consumer likes to pay for ads.”
Another person comments with, “Bro why are you posting this on Twitter like it’s a W? You just increased prices for people who don’t want ads and for people who don’t want to pay more you gave them a crappier service.”
Someone references Christine McCarthy, Disney’s Chief Financial Officer (known for her Disney Guest waistlines remark), who may be in the running as the next CEO, stating, “Ms. Wastelines must love it.”
Another tweets what seems like the obvious, “Things not to be proud of…”
We had high hopes that with Chapek’s removal and Iger’s arrival that the company would work to undo some of Chapek’s impacts.
We have seen the removal Kareem Daniel, Chapek’s right-hand man and the Chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. We have also seen Iger work on reversing some Chapek-era ways in this production division.
BUT – bragging to the consumer about new advertisers at the consumer’s expense… well, it just seems like a major misstep.
