Disney+ Updates Terms of Use To Allow Ads on Every Subscription Tier, Including Premium

Disney+ has revised its Subscriber Agreement to explicitly permit advertising before and after movies and shows across every subscription plan, including the ad-free Premium tier that customers pay a premium specifically to avoid commercials.

According to the updated terms, which Disney began emailing to subscribers and requiring them to accept via an on-screen prompt, all plans “may include limited advertising content, ads before or after content playback, clips, and trailers for Disney content, products, and services, as well as branded or sponsored content.”

Disney describes the update as a “clarification” of existing language rather than an entirely new policy, and the company has stressed that ad interruptions during a movie or series itself remain exclusive to the cheapest “Standard with Ads” tier — content in the Standard and Premium libraries will still play without commercial breaks in the middle.

Some ad-related language wasn’t new. Previous versions of the agreement already referenced ad breaks for live content, in-app notifications about Disney products, sponsorships, and product placement. What’s explicitly new is language permitting ads specifically before and after content playback on plans previously marketed as commercial-free, including the $18.99-a-month Premium tier.

Disney has said live content and special events, including reruns, may include ad breaks or advertising messages regardless of subscription tier. The agreement also notes that some promotions may not be skippable, and that using an ad blocker could interfere with playback. The only exception carved out is Junior Mode profiles, which Disney says will remain fully free of ads and sponsor placements. Disney has not said it will begin running these new ads immediately, only that its terms now explicitly allow it to do so.

Disney+’s new Terms of Use reserves the right to show ads before and after movies and series across all subscription plans. https://t.co/WKzmn55jgY

— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 19, 2026

Alongside the advertising language, Disney also shortened the advance notice period it’s required to give subscribers before a subscription price increase, from 30 days down to 28 days. In markets like Finland, the updated terms are set to take effect 30 days after the company’s September 9 notice, putting the effective date around October 9; the rollout timeline may vary by region.

Disney+ first introduced an ad-supported tier in the U.S. in December 2022 alongside its ad-free Premium option, which was explicitly marketed at the time as delivering “commercial-free programming.” This is not the first time Disney has faced scrutiny over terms-of-service changes — a 2025 update to its arbitration clause, which attempted to apply Disney+ dispute terms to unrelated matters including theme park injury claims, drew significant public backlash before the company walked it back.

The update has generated frustration among subscribers, many of whom have noted on social media that Premium customers are paying for an ad-free experience that, under the new terms, is no longer fully guaranteed. Disney’s language stresses that the company does not commit to any specific amount or frequency of advertising on any plan, leaving the practical impact for now largely undefined.

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