Rogers pairs with Disney to offer ad-supported Disney Plus tier to cable subscribers

Rogers Communications is cozying up with Disney Plus to give its TV subscribers the popular streaming service for free.

The telecommunications company says Rogers TV users now have access to the ad-supported version of Disney’s platform, which otherwise costs $7.99/month and features a deep catalogue of Pixar movies, Hollywood films and original series in the “Star Wars” and Marvel franchises.

Rogers has been bulking up its TV assets in recent months as Canada’s biggest broadcasters fight to keep viewers from cutting the cord in favour of U.S. streaming services Netflix, Prime Video and others.

Earlier this month, Rogers announced it had signed multi-year deals to acquire the Canadian rights to several lifestyle brands owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, including HGTV, Food Network and Discovery.

The agreement takes effect next year and snags the properties from its Canadian competitors Corus Entertainment and Bell Media.

Rogers struck a separate agreement to bring NBCUniversal’s Bravo channel to Canada starting in September. That deal will make it the domestic rights holder for hit reality TV franchises “The Real Housewives,” “Vanderpump Rules” and “Top Chef.”

For Rogers TV subscribers, the Disney Plus deal offers savings if viewers are willing to sit through commercial breaks in their programming. The Disney agreement does not include higher priced ad-free tiers.

The Rogers website lists two-year TV plans that start at $104 a month.