TV & Streaming

Doordash, Macy’s, and Toyota are among the brands advertising on Disney+

The latest streaming ad-supported tier debuted Thursday with more than 100 advertisers across all major categories.
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A Lego ad displayed on Disney+.

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Another day, another platform on which advertisers can spend their money.

Disney+’s much-anticipated ad-supported tier officially rolled out Thursday, bringing more premium video inventory to the marketplace in the crucial fourth quarter. The tier, which starts at $7.99 a month, already has more than 100 brands across all major categories advertising on the service, the company disclosed in a release.

Brands that Marketing Brew spotted on the ad-supported tier, called Disney+ Basic, included auto brands Mercedes, Cadillac, and Toyota, entertainment brands Nintendo Switch and Lego, travel brands Carnival and IHG Hotels, food brands Panera, Starbucks, and Eggland’s Best, and others like Macy’s, SleepNumber, DoorDash, The General, and an asthma medication. Oh, and Walt Disney World.

The usual suspects: Like Netflix’s ad-supported tier that debuted last month, the ad experience on Disney+ Basic at launch included the standard 15-, 30-, and 45-second ads that run either before programming starts or during scene breaks. In the pilot episode of Star Wars series Andor, two 15-second pre-roll ads ran before the episode played, and the 42-minute episode included two minute-long ad breaks.

The pilot episode of Marvel’s She-Hulk had a similar viewing experience, with two ad breaks in the 38-minute episode and a one-minute long pre-roll ad.

Lower and lower: Disney+ executives had previously promised no more than four minutes of ads per hour, and the platform has so far delivered: After four minutes of ads were viewed, the platform began to skip clean through the designated ad breaks spaced out on the Pixar original film Ratatouille. That’s somewhat expected: Streaming services have been fighting to keep ad loads ultra-low in an effort to keep fickle and possibly ad-averse customers coming back to their services.

Cough it up: As the ad-supported tier rolls out, ad-free viewing across the Disney streaming portfolio is also becoming more expensive. Continuing to view ad-free on Disney+ will cost viewers an additional $3 a month, the company previously announced.—KS

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Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.