Disney is mum on additional Disney+ ad plans during upfront event

Despite the anticipation surrounding Disney’s plans to introduce ads into its namesake streaming platform, the House of Mouse remained mum on its strategy to incorporate commercials during its upfront presentation at New York City’s Basketball City at Pier 36 today. Disney divulged some details about its ad strategy for Disney+ ahead of its presentation, hinting that advertisers would be offered more morsels of information about advertising opportunities on its tentpole streaming service, which is set to launch later this year. But no dice—Disney’s event instead featured a revolving door of celebrity appearances and pitches from creative talent, focusing primarily on teasing new titles arriving on Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, as well as personalities and content for its broadcast properties ESPN and ABC. Earlier Tuesday, the company confirmed to Ad Age that a cheaper, ad-supported Disney+ tier would have a “lighter ad load,” with an average of four minutes or fewer per hour, and would not take ads for alcohol or political campaigns. Disney+ also won’t sell ad spots to rival entertainment studios—a not-surprising move as Disney barrels toward its goal of hitting as many as 260 million subscribers by 2024. Programming for preschool-aged children will also remain ad-free, The Wall Street Journal reported. RSVP for Ad Age In-Depth: TV Pivot on May 24 and 25 at AdAge.com/TVPivot One buyer pointed to Disney+’s ad load as being particularly noteworthy, given that at four minutes per hour or less, Disney+ would be offering fewer advertising opportunities than the ad-supported tiers of its streaming peers, including sister service Hulu. A second buyer wasn’t concerned about the lack of details surrounding the ad tier, expecting the Disney sales team will divulge more once dealmaking starts. During his opening remarks at the event, CEO Bob Chapek called Disney “the most powerful force in the industry.” Sign up here for upcoming events and awards Ad Age In-Depth: TV Pivot Ad Age 40 under 40 Ad Age Small Agency Conference & Awards

Disney is mum on additional Disney+ ad plans during upfront event

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