Disney wants Disney Plus to be much more than a streaming service as the platform enters its eighth year of operation. With Disney setting its sights on the streamer becoming a more centralized hub for all things Disney, the company is preparing to integrate new features that signal a big-picture shift in how subscribers use Disney Plus. See other big Disney announcements.
Disney announced six changes coming to Disney Plus. We have the list of announcements, the timeframe for their expected roll-out, and an overview of how these differences compare with how the platform is currently used. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including three Halloween offerings at Disneyland that are starting earlier than others and a change to a Star Wars experience that was getting less popular.
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Changes Coming to Disney Plus
The Walt Disney Company recently mapped out some short-term and long-term plans for theme parks, film production, sports, consumer products, streaming, and other components of the corporation.
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These remarks were shared during Disney’s quarterly earnings call with investors and analysts on August 5, 2026. New CEO Josh D’Amaro led the presentation, sharing that Disney theme parks delivered record results this quarter. This was not the case industry-wide. Disney’s high numbers tell a different story from Universal’s lower theme park data for the same period.
D’Amaro also spoke on how world events are impacting Disney’s strategy and theme park projects in development. See our full coverage of all of the announcements that Disney leadership made. For the rest of this story, we’re focusing on Disney+.
Disney+ launched in November 2019, and has since made a name for itself as the streaming home of new and classic movies and series from all arms of Disney’s domain, including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and ABC. Since Disney’s full acquisition of Hulu, programming from that streamer has also become part of Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.
Now, Disney Plus will go beyond its roots as a content library to become a metaphorical front door to the entire company. Here are six Disney Plus changes announced.
Disney Plus Will Be a Starting Point to Subscribers’ Disney Journey
Almost everything in this article aligns with a broader interest on Disney’s part to leverage Disney Plus as a launching point for subscribers connecting with the Disney brand in other ways beyond watching a movie or series. CEO Josh D’Amaro aims for Disney+ to become the “digital centerpiece” of The Walt Disney Company.
Disney wants the streaming service to connect Disney’s businesses as part of a bigger ecosystem. For example, subscribers can expect more opportunities to purchase Disney merchandise and play Disney games directly within Disney Plus.
D’Amaro referred to the unique position Disney has in this respect, saying Disney is “the only entertainment company with the global scale in both the physical and digital worlds.” This will come more into play in spring 2027.
TikTok on Disney Plus
Disney is partnering with TikTok creators to bring vertical videos, or Verts, to Disney Plus. These will be rolled out with subscribers in mind who use Disney Plus on their phone rather than on a television, in an effort to keep users on the platform longer.
TikTok creators who make Disney-related content can opt in to the program themselves, giving them access to Disney-provided assets from popular franchises.
“The best storytellers are fans first,” said Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “That has always been true at Disney, and today, fans are celebrating our stories in entirely new ways. This collaboration creates a new bridge between the stories we tell and the creativity they inspire, giving creators a bigger stage to share what they’ve made, and audiences more to discover on Disney+ every day.”
This follows a few industry-wide trends. Disney previously partnered with YouTube creators to host YouTube videos on Disney Plus in specific, themed collections, such as a Lilo & Stitch-themed selection of YouTuber-created videos when the 2025 live-action remake of that film debuted.
Disney Plus introduced the concept of Verts in general in March 2026 with clips from existing movies and shows. Other streaming platforms, like Max and Peacock, also recently rolled out Verts of their own.
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AI Search Engines
Following the evolution of search engines like Google toward more intuitive, AI-based functionality, Disney Plus is testing AI search capabilities for some subscribers in beta mode right now, with a wider roll-out planned for the future.
The traditional search engine model is based on keywords for movie titles and actors. That works fine if you know what you’re looking for, but not if you prefer a little more help looking around.
With the AI Disney Plus search, you could tell Disney+ what you’d like to see with descriptive language rather than keywords, and it could help you find something that matches.
See how else Disney plans to incorporate AI across the company.
Possible Free Version of Disney Plus
Disney is considering a free version of Disney Plus. The current subscription cost for Disney Plus with ads is $11.99 monthly, with promotions sometimes available at a lower cost. Disney also offers various combinations of bundles for Disney Plus with Hulu, ESPN, and Max.
This news comes after the ongoing success of other free ad supported television streaming offerings like Tubi and Pluto TV.
For as synergy-focused as Disney is, it’s not difficult to imagine how the company could view a free tier of Disney Plus as desirable even if the consumer isn’t spending any money directly. So much Disney content promotes other components of the company, from theme parks to products, that Disney may benefit by having a subset of subscribers still engaging with their franchises in this way rather than not engaging with them at all.
Disney also has more than enough content to supply a free tier. Even if the company lifted everything they’ve uploaded on their many free YouTube channels and dropped that all on a free tier of Disney Plus, there would be tons to watch. Throw in a few free movies, and this could be a win.
More Perks Coming for Subscribers
Disney Plus offers perks to subscribers, and some of them, like occasional big discounts on Disney World hotels, are worth the cost of the streaming subscription even if the user doesn’t use the platform to watch anything
We track these perks. Take a look at some of the Disney Plus perks currently available and how to access them.
Disney is interested in adding more perks in the future as a means of deepening subscribers’ engagement. Again, this contributes to Disney’s overall aim for Disney Plus to be a starting point for participating in other aspects of Disney.
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