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Credit: DisneyThe Disney+ streaming service is now free for millions of cable customers, an abrupt turn from the massive contractual meltdown between the Walt Disney Company and Charter Communications just a few months ago.
Disney and Charter Communications announced today that all Spectrum TV select packages in the United States would now include Disney+ at no additional cost. All Charter cable customers with a package subscription now immediately have access to the streaming service’s vast catalog of Disney animation and live-action, Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and shows, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Simpsons, Pixar, and National Geographic.
Additionally, thanks to an ongoing merger of services, Hulu’s catalog of more mature-themed content. Charter Communications also stated that it also plans to include ESPN+ at some point in the future, though there is no confirmed date.
Related: Disney+ Will Celebrate Hulu Merger With New ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Charter Executive Vice President Tom Montemagno says via press release:
“With the launch of the Disney+ Basic offer, TV Select customers can now enjoy access to Disney’s popular streaming content as well as their high-quality linear TV channels, all included as part of one video package. As the video industry continues to evolve, we are committed to including direct-to-consumer apps like Disney+ with Spectrum services while providing a simplified TV viewing experience through platforms such as the Xumo Stream Box. We are pleased to partner with Disney to further this goal to the benefit of our mutual customers.”
Naturally, there is at least one caveat to the new Disney+ Spectrum TV deal: ads. The Spectrum TV cable package deal provides access to the ad-supported tier that Disney launched in December 2022, so any subscribers who don’t want advertisements will be out of luck.
In the last several years, the major services have all been experimenting with including advertisements in streaming content as they struggle to make the medium profitable, so it’s no surprise that Disney would figure out a way to get millions more people watching the ad-supported tier.
Related: Disney+ Moving Forward With Mature Content
Last year, Disney and Charter struggled with carrier contract negotiations that eventually fell through and resulted in millions of subscribers losing all Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, FX, the Disney Channel, and ABC. The two companies were eventually able to come to an agreement (which includes this new Disney+ deal), but it may be some time before subscribers stop feeling sore about it.
The Disney+ Basic deal can be activated for Spectrum TV select subscribers here: www.spectrum.com/cp/disney-plus, while cable customers with existing Disney+ memberships can manage their subscriptions via the Disney+ hub or app.
Press release information provided via Charter Communications.
Are you a Spectrum TV package subscriber? Would you be okay with free Disney+ with ads? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below!