Disney is reportedly considering adding traditional always-on channels to its Disney Plus streaming service.
According to a recent report on The Information, Disney will soon add themed always-on channels to the Disney Plus app. These channels would offer no choice over what you watch, just a constant stream of 24/7 content. Yes, that does sound rather a lot like the traditional TV programming that the streaming era was supposed to have supplanted.
The obvious difference here is that these channels will show Disney IP exclusively, and will be divided into particular content types. For example, there might be a channel dedicated to Star Wars and one to Marvel content, as well as distinct channels for Pixar movies and Disney’s own animated productions.
It’s also claimed that there will be ads mixed in with these traditional channels, despite the fact that they will only be accessible to paid Disney Plus subscribers. That concept will be familiar to any Amazon Prime Video watchers who found themselves burned by the sneaky addition of ad content to their fully paid-up streaming service.
It also feeds into a current streaming scene where services are seemingly intent on hiking prices whilst simultaneously being forced to offer some kind of cheaper tier for cash and time-strapped customers.
Such a provision arrives in wake of the success of always-on streaming services like Tubi, which supplies a constant stream of choice-free content at the expense of watching a few ads.
The report doesn’t offer any solid information on when we might be able to expect such always-on channels. We’ll keep you posted.
