Disney has spent years building Disney+ around one basic idea: if you want its biggest streaming exclusives, you need to pay for them.
Lately, that price of admission has become increasingly difficult for some viewers to swallow.
Disney+ has faced renewed criticism after another round of subscription price increases, prompting customers to debate whether the service still makes sense in an increasingly expensive streaming market. Some viewers have openly discussed canceling services or rotating subscriptions rather than keeping every platform year-round.
Now, Disney is taking an interesting approach with some of its exclusive programming.
Instead of keeping everything locked completely behind Disney+ forever, the company is making select content available without requiring viewers to maintain a Disney+ subscription.
And depending on how well the experiment works, this could become a clever way for Disney to bring former subscribers back.
Disney+ Prices Are Harder to Justify
Disney+ looked dramatically different when it launched in 2019.
The service originally entered the United States at $6.99 per month. Since then, Disney has repeatedly raised prices while introducing an ad-supported option and expanding its bundle offerings.
The latest increases have brought another wave of criticism.
New subscribers will now pay $21.49 per month for Disney+ Premium or $12.49 per month for the ad-supported plan. Existing subscribers will see the new prices during billing cycles on or after October 21.
That means an entire year of standalone Disney+ Premium now costs over $200.
For households already paying for Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, Prime Video, or other entertainment services, those monthly bills add up quickly. That has helped fuel frustration whenever another streaming price increase arrives.
Disney obviously doesn’t want customers walking away completely.
Its latest move gives people something they normally wouldn’t expect from a service built around paid subscriptions: complete episodes for free.
Disney Officially Releases Free Content
Marvel Entertainment has started uploading full episodes of WandaVision to its official YouTube channel.
The first three episodes are currently available, meaning viewers can watch them without subscribing to Disney+. They also don’t need YouTube Premium to access the episodes.
That is considerably different from releasing trailers, clips, or promotional featurettes. Disney is effectively allowing viewers to start one of its major original Disney+ series for free.
At the moment, only the first three episodes have been released this way. Marvel could eventually upload additional installments, though Disney has not confirmed that the entire series will be available for free.
Still, the timing makes the decision especially interesting.
Rather than simply advertising what’s available behind the Disney+ paywall, Disney can let viewers experience the story first. Once someone gets invested, suddenly subscribing doesn’t feel like taking a chance on an unfamiliar show.
Why Does This Content Matter?
WandaVision debuted in 2021 and became an important chapter in Wanda Maximoff’s story following the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
The series follows Wanda as she struggles with the loss of Vision and creates the Westview Anomaly, transforming a New Jersey town into a strange sitcom-inspired reality.
Inside that world, Vision is alive again, and Wanda has created a family that includes her children, Billy and Tommy.
But the illusion eventually begins falling apart.
Agatha Harkness becomes a major part of the mystery, while Wanda eventually embraces her identity as the Scarlet Witch. Her story continues in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
Vision’s story also remains unfinished.
A rebuilt version known as White Vision eventually regains access to his memories before disappearing. Meanwhile, Agatha’s story continued with Agatha All Along, creating an interconnected corner of Marvel’s television universe.
That makes WandaVision particularly valuable again as Marvel moves forward with VisionQuest.
Free Episodes Could Actually Sell Subscriptions
Giving away episodes might sound counterproductive when Disney is simultaneously charging more for Disney+.
But the strategy makes sense if Disney views those episodes as an extended advertisement.
Someone who never watched WandaVision may not feel particularly interested in paying for Disney+ simply because another related series is arriving. Give that person several episodes for free, however, and Disney has an opportunity to get them invested.
If they want to finish WandaVision, explore Agatha All Along, or follow Vision into VisionQuest, Disney+ becomes the obvious destination.
It’s essentially a much longer version of a free sample.
Disney doesn’t have to remove the Disney+ paywall entirely. It only needs to provide enough content beyond that wall to remind viewers of what they’re missing.
Disney May Have Found Another Way In
There’s no guarantee Disney will make this a regular part of its streaming strategy.
Right now, we’re talking about three episodes of WandaVision, not Disney suddenly opening its entire catalog to nonsubscribers. But the possibilities are interesting.
Disney could eventually make older seasons of select originals available for free when new seasons approach. It could also loosen exclusivity on older Disney+ originals after they’ve spent years behind the paywall.
Another possibility is keeping Disney+ as the home for immediate access while gradually allowing older programming to appear elsewhere. Much will depend on whether these free releases drive viewers toward Disney+ and upcoming projects such as VisionQuest.
For now, viewers are getting something increasingly rare in streaming: Disney+ original programming without another monthly bill.
Considering Disney+ Premium is now over $21 per month, three free episodes won’t erase complaints about the price. But free is still free.
And if enough viewers take advantage, Disney may discover that occasionally opening the gate can convince people to eventually pay to walk through it.
