The first in our Mirror Top Tech series – where we offer our top picks of gadgets and tech deals – sees TV writer Jake Hackney tell you why this streaming deal is too good to miss
Welcome to the first instalment in our Top Tech series, where we’ll be bringing you the best deals on everything from TV streaming to essential kitchen gadgets. Twice a week, our team of shopping experts will be highlighting our favourite products we feel are worth your money and could even save you a few pennies.
As we near the tail-end of the year and the temperature drops, many of us will find ourselves spending more time in front of the TV. But these days, with so much new content launching each week and a host of streaming platforms competing for our subscription fees, choosing what to watch is no easy feat.
That’s why our first Top Tech pick is an unbeatable TV deal offering a raft of big-screen blockbusters and must-see shows for under £2. Earlier this month, Disney+ slashed its prices to £1.99 with the return of an eye-catching deal, but time is running out to claim it.
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Until Friday (September 27), new and returning customers can join the Disney+ Standard with Ads plan for £1.99 a month for three months. Usually priced at £4.99, the deal lets members stream the biggest new films and shows in full HD 1080p on two devices simultaneously for the equivalent of 50p a week.
Disney+ has brought back its popular deal that lets new and returning customers join its Standard with Ads plan for £1.99 a month for three months.
This means members can stream hit shows like Only Murders in the Building, The Bear and Shōgun, plus countless titles from Star Wars and Marvel, for a fraction of the usual price.
This is a rare opportunity to grab a discount from Disney+ as the streamer isn’t one to regularly launch new promotions. Understandably, some telly fans may be put off by the thought of adverts interrupting their viewing, but rest assured there are only around four minutes of ads per hour of TV – less than terrestrial TV – while ads will only ever play before you watch a film, not during.
These days, most film and TV fans know Disney+ is the one-stop shop to stream the biggest titles in the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, but there’s so much more if you dig a little deeper. On top of the latest Jedi and superhero-filled epics and blockbuster Pixar animations like Inside Out 2, Disney+ also offers a broad variety of documentaries, with something for everyone whether you’re into sport, music or fashion.
I’ve never been interested in motorsports, but I binged Keanu Reeve’s docuseries, Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story, in one sitting. The four-parter explores the extraordinary story of the Brawn GP F1 team, which avoided extinction after being sold for just £1.
There’s also something for music lovers with a raft of fascinating docs like the eight-hour epic The Beatles: Get Back, surf rock saga The Beach Boys and upcoming Bruce Springsteen film, Road Diary. The £1.99 deal also allows members to catch any must-see shows that may have slipped under the radar over the past year.
If you’re unsure where to start, I’d go with The Bear or Shōgun, two dramas that cleaned up at the 76th Emmy Awards earlier this month. The Bear – which follows the epic highs and rock-bottom lows of a group of Chicago restaurateurs – has become one of the most revered shows in recent years thanks to its stellar performances and sublime camera work – definitely one for the cinephiles.
Shōgun is perfect for filling the gap left by Game of Thrones as it features waves of samurai action and political backstabbing that made the long-running fantasy so popular. But if it’s superheroes who really float your boat, Disney+ is reportedly gearing up to add Deadpool & Wolverine to its library in the coming months, although neither Disney nor Marvel has confirmed exactly when it will drop.
For me, a big selling point of the £1.99 deal is that it’s come at such an opportune time. Bagging the deal before it expires means you can lock in the £1.99 rate through to the end of December, so you can stream to your heart’s content over Christmas.
There are plenty of festive films for the whole family to get stuck into on Disney+, with top titles like Home Alone, The Muppets Christmas Carol and The Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as action epic Die Hard for those that feel like reigniting the decades-long debate. There’s also no long-term commitment after your three-month subscription is up.
If you decide to stick with Disney+ after the promotional period, your membership will automatically renew at the then-current monthly price – currently £4.99. If you feel like you’ve had enough, no problem, you can simply cancel your subscription and move on.
While Disney+ doesn’t offer a free trial like rival platforms Apple TV+ and Amazon’s Prime Video, there is a way to watch TV for free with Sky’s latest deal. The provider is currently offering customers a one-month free trial of its Sky Stream and Netflix bundle.
The plan comes with a new Sky Stream box, which allows viewers to watch TV via WiFi rather than a traditional satellite dish or aerial. Usually priced at £31, Sky Stream offers all the same content as traditional Sky, including hit shows like House of the Dragon and new Batman spin-off, The Penguin, as well as Netflix’s ever-expanding library.
