Disney+ plans to bring targeted ads to its audience in 2023. The platform will join other streaming services and provide companies with more information about its subscribers, so they can bring better ads to Disney+'s ad-supported plan.

Disney+ Is Planning to Serve Targeted Ads in 2023

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Image Credit: Disney/Disney Plus

In December 2022, Disney+ introduced its ad-supported tier, which gives you around four minutes of ads per hour. This is not only reserved for Disney+ since there are many other streaming services with ad-supported tiers, including HBO Max and Netflix.

However, Disney+ wants to take it a step further. The platform will begin using targeted ads from 2023 onwards, as first reported by Digiday. The company had previously stopped targeting users under 17 with advertisements, but it seems it's changing its mind.

How Does Disney+ Plan to Show More Targeted Ads?

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Image Credit: Hulu

To be able to show targeted ads, companies need to collect or purchase your data. Luckily (for companies), everyone collects your data all the time. While you may find that Disney+ is one of the best Netflix alternatives, it's important to remember they're not benevolent and will happily hike up prices and collect your data for the sake of profit.

In April 2023, Disney+ will begin collecting data such as your age, gender, and location. That's in addition to having built up a profile on your watch time, watch history, and any data you've passed to them by visiting any of their affiliated sites online with the same device.

Disney+ also owns Hulu and its full suite of ad products and services. Under the Disney Select data platform, that suite has 2000 audience segments broken down by psychographics like attitudes, lifestyles, personalities, and more.

Why is this important? Because from July 2023 onwards, Disney+ will use Hulu's suite on the platform to serve more targeted ads to you. It basically means that all of Hulu's data will be available on Disney's main platform too. With how advanced and comprehensive marketing has become, you can expect the ads to be pretty accurate.

Are You Happy With the Introduction of Targeted Ads on Disney+?

It seems that there is no slowing down the beast of capitalism. You can expect more advertising, targeting, and data collection as time passes. Until something changes in regulation, everyone is here to add to the vast swathes of data in the digital-capitalist ecosystem.

Are you happy about Disney+ introducing targeted ads, or is this likely to encourage you to give up on the platform? The introduction of ads may be making you question whether it is worth getting it, but it's important to mention that ad-supported tiers of streaming services make the subscription cheaper.