Paying for Disney+ has always been part of the deal if you wanted access to Disney’s biggest streaming originals. But Disney is now giving viewers a chance to watch some of that exclusive programming for free.
The move comes at an interesting time for the streaming service.
Disney+ recently increased its subscription prices again, adding another expense for viewers already juggling several streaming platforms. With some customers reconsidering how many services they really need each month, Disney has another challenge: convincing people that its content is worth paying for.
One of its latest moves could help.
Disney is now allowing viewers to watch complete episodes of one of Marvel’s major Disney+ originals for free, giving people a way to sample the service’s programming before deciding whether they want a subscription.
Disney+ Costs Much More Than It Once Did
Disney+ entered the United States in 2019 with a $6.99 monthly price tag.
A lot has changed since then.
Disney has added an ad-supported tier, expanded its streaming bundles, and repeatedly increased subscription prices. The newest increase pushes Disney+ even further from its original launch price.
New subscribers now pay $12.49 per month for the ad-supported plan. Disney+ Premium costs $21.49 per month. Existing subscribers will encounter the new prices during billing cycles on or after October 21.
That puts a full year of standalone Disney+ Premium above $200.
And Disney+ probably isn't the only streaming service on many households' bills. Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, Prime Video, and other services can quickly turn relatively small monthly charges into a significant entertainment expense.
That makes Disney's next move particularly noteworthy.
Disney Grants Free Access
Marvel Entertainment has uploaded the first three full episodes of WandaVision to its official YouTube channel.
Viewers don't need Disney+ to watch them. They don't need YouTube Premium, either.
These aren't extended previews or collections of clips. Marvel is giving viewers complete episodes of a series originally created as a major Disney+ exclusive.
Disney hasn't confirmed that Marvel will eventually release the entire series for free. For now, viewers can watch only the first three episodes this way.
Still, three episodes provide plenty of time for someone unfamiliar with WandaVision to become invested in its story.
And that story remains important to Marvel's current television plans.
Disney Makes an Original Series Matter Again
WandaVision debuted in 2021, continuing Wanda Maximoff's story after Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
The series finds Wanda struggling with Vision's death before creating the Westview Anomaly. A New Jersey town becomes a sitcom-inspired world where Vision is alive, and Wanda has built a family with their children, Billy and Tommy.
Eventually, that reality starts unraveling.
Agatha Harkness emerges as an important part of the mystery, while Wanda embraces her identity as the Scarlet Witch. Wanda's story later continues in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
Vision's story takes another path.
White Vision eventually regains access to his memories and disappears, leaving questions about what comes next for the character. Agatha later returned in Agatha All Along.
Now, Marvel is preparing to continue this connected story with VisionQuest.
That makes introducing new viewers to WandaVision useful even five years after its original debut.
Free Episodes Could Lead Back to Disney+
Giving away Disney+ programming while raising subscription prices may initially seem like a strange combination.
But three free episodes could work as a much larger advertisement for everything viewers still can't watch without subscribing.
Someone unfamiliar with WandaVision can now begin the series without spending anything. If those episodes leave them wanting more, they will need somewhere to continue.
Disney+ provides that destination.
The same viewer could also become interested in Agatha All Along or want to see what happens next with Vision in VisionQuest.
Instead of asking people to subscribe before discovering whether they enjoy the series, Disney is letting the content be part of the sales pitch.
Could Disney Do More of This?
Disney hasn't announced plans to release Disney+ originals for free regularly, so three episodes of WandaVision shouldn't be mistaken for a major overhaul of its subscription model.
But the approach creates some interesting possibilities.
Disney could eventually use older originals to promote related projects or make introductory episodes available elsewhere while keeping the complete series on Disney+.
For viewers, the immediate benefit is much simpler.
Three full episodes of WandaVision are available without another monthly subscription.
That won't make Disney+ Premium's $21.49 monthly price disappear. But it does give viewers something Disney+ doesn't usually offer: a chance to start one of its major originals before paying to continue.
