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The streaming wars have never been more competitive, with Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ all battling for supremacy. Netflix has long been the most popular streaming service around, but this year has seen user numbers stall and drop amid increased competition from the likes of Prime Video, Disney+ and other services such as Paramount+ and HBO Max. However, Netflix could be about to roll out a new cheaper membership plan that not only will help revitalise its fortunes but will arrive sooner than expected.
It has emerged that Netflix could launch its ad-supported membership tier in November, leapfrogging the similar Disney+ service and coming in at a cheaper price.
According to recent reports, Netflix’s ad-supported service will launch in multiple regions (including the US, UK and parts of Europe) on November 1 and will be priced in the States between $7 and $9 a month in the US.
This is cheaper than the Basic, non-HD streaming plan which is priced at $9.99 a month and could be half the price of the most popular Standard plan ($15.49) which offers HD streaming.
If this pricing is accurate, then it means Netflix fans in the UK could be looking at a fee of around £4.99 a month for the ad-supported plan.
In the battle between Netflix and Disney+, these rumours could be very good news for the Stranger Things and Squid Game makers.
Stranger Things season 4 official trailer from Netflix
Firstly, Disney+ is planning on launching an ad-supported plan as well – but this is coming to the US first in December before launching in other regions in 2023.
These rumours, if true, would mean Netflix could launch its ad-supported tier months before Disney+ in the US and even longer when looking at other regions.
Another reason these recent rumours are good news for Netflix is – if true – it would mean Netflix’s offering with ads could be seen as better value than Disney’s package.
Pricing for Disney’s ad-supported Disney+ has so far only been announced for the US, however the news has left fans surprised.
Instead of launching at a cheaper price point than currently available, the Disney+ ad-supported plan will be $7.99 a month – the same price that the ad-free version currently costs. While the ad-free is going to be priced $10.99.
Disney+ (One Month Subscription)
Unlock unlimited access to the Disney+ catalogue – which includes new releases like Turning Red, Jungle Cruise, Encanto, and Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, alongside classic Walt Disney animations and every film ever released by Pixar Studios. There’s also the complete Star Wars saga and National Geographic documentaries and films. New exclusive boxsets, like The Mandalorian and WandaVision, are also available to stream and download to your iPhone, iPad, or Android devices.
Contract length: Rolling one-month contract, cancel at any time | Parental controls: Yes | 4K Ultra HD: Yes, included | Stream on 4 devices simultaneously
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Disney+ (One Year Subscription) – Save 15%
If you want the best deal currently available for Disney+, buy an annual subscription to the streamer. This costs £79.90, which is £6.65 a month, compared to the pricier £7.99 cost for the rolling one-month option. There are also other benefits to buying a year-long subscription upfront – last year, when Disney decided to increase the cost of the service, those who had paid for a year in advance were unimpacted
Contract length: 12-months | Parental controls: Yes | 4K Ultra HD: Yes, included | Stream on 4 devices simultaneously
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It’s unclear whether Disney will follow this pricing model in other regions around the world when the ad-free plan launches, but for the time being it means existing subscribers in the US will soon have to pay more to watch their favourite movies and TV shows on Disney+ without any ads.
And this could help sway over anyone that is on the fence and is having to choose between picking up a Netflix or Disney+ subscription.
As always with rumours though, it’s best to take these claims with a big dollop of salt until official confirmation.
Netflix for its part has remained tight-lipped about the rumours.
A spokesperson for the streaming giant said: “We are still in the early days of deciding how to launch a lower-priced, ad-supported tier and no decisions have been made.”
If Netflix is launching its ad-supported plan at the start of November then confirmation could be coming within the coming weeks.
Amazon Prime
The Rings Of Power is the blockbuster new Lord Of The Rings series from Amazon. It will only be available to stream on Prime Video, which is one of the benefits of Amazon Prime membership. As well as boxset binges, you’ll also unlock free next-day delivery on thousands of items from Amazon, unlimited photo back-up to the cloud, free PC games to download via Prime Gaming, one-year subscription to Deliveroo Plus at no cost. You can get Amazon Prime for free for 30-days
Free trial lasts 30-days, if cancelled during that time you will not be charged | Amazon Prime membership costs £7.99 per month thereafter
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Prime Video
If you’re not interested in all of the other benefits of Amazon Prime membership, you can subscribe to Prime Video on its own. This is a much cheaper option than an Amazon Prime membership and will allow you to stream The Rings Of Power on any device
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