Disney Plus cheaper, ad-supported tier is being designed to safeguard the service’s family-friendly image. The company said Tuesday that the service won’t run any advertising related to politics or alcohol and will keep ads out of sight of preschoolers when it launches in the US late this year. At the tier’s launch, profiles sets up for …

Last year, an unprecedented number of new theatrical movies streamed online the same day they hit cinemas. But this year, as COVID-19 restrictions have eased and audiences returned to cinemas, the practice has nearly vanished. Pretty much all movies now get at least a month and a half in theaters exclusively — often longer.   Firestarter — the reboot of …

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had the biggest box office opening since, well, the last time Benedict Cumberbatch played Doctor Strange on the big screen. Multiverse of Madness hauled in $187 million in domestic ticket grosses last weekend when it debuted, which is the biggest pandemic-era opening-weekend blockbuster save for Spider-Man: No Way Home’s $260 million. Both movies featured …

The Lost City hit cinemas on March 25 and had only been available in theaters — until now. New movies have faced profound disruptions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which unhinged standard practices for when and where new movies begin streaming. Now, every studio and streaming service carves out its own rules, and it’s difficult to keep track of …

Disney CEO Bob Chapek teased the possibility that Disney Plus price hikes may be coming, saying Wednesday that the company feels “bullish” about adjusting the streaming service’s price as its library bulks up with more shows and movies and it launches a cheaper, ad-supported tier later this year.  In February, Chapek dropped similar hints, indicating that Disney Plus likely wouldn’t raise prices before …

What’s happening Airbnb is revamping its service so categories of stays — from castles to caves, from iconic cities to off-the-grid spots — become the starting points for your search, alongside other tweaks. Why it matters Travel is expected to reach or exceed prepandemic levels this year, as loosening COVID restrictions unleash pent-up travel demand. Airbnb on Wednesday revamped how …

Disney Plus grew to 137.7 million subscribers as of April 2, Disney said Wednesday. That’s a 33% increase from a year earlier, but more importantly it shows Disney Plus subscriber growth held up relatively well in its latest quarter — climbing by 7.9 million from the previous three months — soon after world leader Netflix shocked Hollywood with its first membership decline in a decade.  …

What’s happening YouTube is adding a feature to Shorts (its TikTok competitor) that lets creators turn someone else’s clip into a green-screen style background for their own. Why it matters YouTube is chasing the sensation around TikTok, and the ability to remix other videos as a green-screen background is a popular TikTok feature that YouTube is catching up on. YouTube said …

Netflix could roll out an ad-supported tier by the end of the year, according to a report by The New York Times, which cited a company note sent to employees. Netflix also indicated it was planning to introduce charges for password sharing, something the company is currently testing in a few countries, around the same time, according to the report.  The …

What’s happening Roku and Warner Bros. Discovery agree to add Discovery Plus to The Roku Channel. Why it matters An explosion in streaming-service options has complicated how consumers find something to watch and decide what’s worth paying for. What it means for you The Roku Channel aims to simplify things for streaming viewers by offering a unified app for multiple …