Disney+, Paramount+, and Netflix Are All Eyeing Free Streaming Tiers

Streaming prices keep climbing. Paramount+ raised both its tiers by $1 a month in January. Crunchyroll followed with a $2 hike across all tiers in February. Viewers are tired of it. And the numbers show where they're going instead.

Free streaming services accounted for 18.7% of US television watch time in April 2026 — up from 16.8% a year earlier and 12.7% in April 2024. That's a fast-moving trend. YouTube, Tubi, and The Roku Channel are the main beneficiaries. The paid streamers are watching that number climb and getting nervous.

Disney's Chief Product and Technology Officer, Adam Smith, spoke about the idea of a free Disney+ tier during an internal streaming town hall. No timeline. No confirmed scope. Just a conversation — but a public-enough one that it clearly signals where Disney's head is at.

The Disney+ Basic plan currently runs $11.99 a month. The ad-free Premium tier costs $18.99. That puts it near the top of the market. A free tier would be a significant course correction — and frankly, a way to soften the reputation Disney has built for relentless price increases.

Paramount+ is reportedly planning to expand access to movies and shows for people without a subscription. Apple TV+ already offers a handful of free episodes to non-subscribers. Paramount appears ready to go further than that.

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said in mid-July that a free offering could make sense in some markets. The key word is "some." Netflix isn't signaling a US free tier. It's looking at markets where subscription conversion is harder — places where the paid model hasn't fully taken hold yet.

All three companies are circling the same problem. As subscription prices have increased, more viewers have turned to free, ad-supported services like YouTube, Tubi, and The Roku Channel. Hollywood has spent years dismissing YouTube as a different kind of product. It's not doing that anymore. A free tier from Disney+ would be a direct admission that YouTube is competition worth taking seriously.

None of this is confirmed yet. These are discussions, not launch dates. But when three major streamers are all having the same conversation at the same time, the direction is clear enough.