Disney+ has been making some bold financial moves lately, starting with a price hike in October that follows the trend set by many other streaming platforms. Many thought that this would be the end of the ordeal, but then came the news that Disney would stop making payments on the App Store for Apple users. Naturally, this has made some people think about cancelling their subscriptions altogether.
But now, it looks like Disney is working on something a feature that will make people think twice before hitting the cancel button. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the company will be introducing an option that will allow users to pause their subscription. This works similarly to platforms like Netflix and Hulu, allowing you to take a break without completely cancelling your subscription.
Pausing your Disney+ subscription is like pausing your account. Disney will save all your data, such as where you left off in a show and recommendations, but you won’t be able to access the content until you reactivate. This is the perfect middle ground for those who want to take a break from Disney+ but don’t want to lose all of their progress.
Of course, Disney may not always allow pauses. Nothing has been decided yet, but the break will likely be limited to around three months, similar to Netflix. According to Antenna research, 41% of people relapse within a year of quitting. This pause feature therefore helps to prevent users from dropping out completely, and allows them to return only when they know they will actually use the service, such as during the holidays when the extended family is home to binge watch episodes of their favorite Suits.
As competition between the major streaming players becomes increasingly fierce, Netflix is rolling out its “Moments” feature and Prime Video is rolling out AI aggregation tools. The pause option could help Disney+ attract the 153.6 million subscribers it holds. This is a clever way to discourage people from cancelling their subscriptions altogether, especially following reports that Disney+ lost 4.2 million paying subscribers between March 2023 and March 2024.
