Disney Plus might get free TV-style channels with Star Wars, Marvel shows

Disney Plus is reportedly planning to add traditional TV-style channels to the streaming platform. Like many other streaming services that now offer free channels — Roku, Pluto TV, Tubi — Disney Plus is also setting up programming specific to genres, according to The Information.

What exactly will Disney Plus channels show? The report doesn’t go into a lot of detail but it looks like the streamer is considering Star Wars or Marvel-branded shows. The programming is expected to be available for free with ads, something the industry refers to as FAST (Free Ad-supported streaming television).

There’s also no word on when Disney Plus plans to add channels to the service, but the aim of these new additions is to get people to spend more time on the platform. “The theory is that with more viewing options, subscribers will stick around more,” The Information notes.

Netflix also reportedly considered a similar move in 2022 when it discussed creating a store for other streaming services within its app. This would have functioned like Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, which allow users to subscribe to third-party streaming platforms without leaving Prime Video. According to people familiar with the matter, Netflix hasn’t moved on this idea, but hasn’t abandoned it entirely yet.