Disney has introduced a limited-time promotion for Disney+ Basic, offering the ad-supported service to new and returning subscribers for $1.99 a month.
The promotion, which is available through September 27, is good for three months and would deliver $18 in total savings over that period.
The move comes as Disney remains in a standoff with DirecTV over linear carriage for 16 networks, which went dark on the major pay-TV distributor on September 1. (A Disney rep did not respond to Deadline’s inquiry about any connection between the promo and the carriage fight.) While Disney+ of course has a slate of originals, it also provides subscribers with the same programming airing across its linear networks.
This month’s promotion precedes price hikes for Disney+ and other Disney streaming outlets slated to take effect in October. On a stand-alone basis, Disney+ Basic will go up $2 to $9.99 with other outlets and packages also increasing.
In addition to the promotion, Disney+ is introducing a set of perks for U.S. subscribers, including discounts on merchandise, access to 35 free Marvel Digital Comics and entry into a cruise sweepstakes. Subscribers earlier Thursday were also offered tickets to D23 Tune-in To Terror: A Hollywood Halloween presented by Disney+, a subscriber-only event in L.A.
Disney last month announced its overall streaming operation turned a profit for the first time in the company’s fiscal third quarter, beating the company’s initial timetable. Disney+ and Hulu on their own were still in the red during the period, though they are expected to become profitable in the current quarter. Disney+ ended the quarter with 118.3 million core subscribers (domestic and international, excluding Hotstar) compared with 117.6 million in the year-ago period.
