Now we know more about what Disney+ will look like with ads. The new advertising tier will launch on 8 December and the ad-free subscription is being hiked up by $3 (or £3 in the UK), which Disney is confident will offer “industry-leading CPM rates” as brands consider buys on the streaming platform in time for Christmas.

But, with a recession looming and with high media inflation, how excited are brands really about new ad inventory on Disney+ and Netflix?

Miroma Group’s marketing communications agency Wake The Bear’s media director Kathryn Bean talks to The Media Leader.

“It does feel like the streaming services are trying to have their cake and eat it,” Bean says. “‘You still need to pay, but we’re also going to give you advertising.’

However, she believes that the so-called ‘cost-of-living crisis’ could end up leading to an increase in demand for subscription video-on-demand services as people hold off on buying expensive household goods and overseas holidays.

She explains: “People will be at home more… the relative cost of unlimited content for less than £10 might be deemed more attractive.”

This article originally appeared in The Media Leader on 12 August 2022.