Why is Disney Plus and Netflix not working on my Roku?

As you may have heard, Disney Plus with ads debuted on Thursday (Dec. 8). Roku device owners, though can't access the $7.99 per month plan that's meant to help avoid the new $10.99 per month price increase. 

Editor's note: Tom's Guide has learned, from a source familiar with the situation, that Disney Plus with ads isn't on Roku because of a disagreement over the terms of the contract. This would seem to make the issue mostly about how the ad sales are split between the two companies. We will continue to monitor the situation for more updates.

In Disney Plus' Help Center (opens in new tab), the service simply notes "Disney+ Basic is not currently available on Roku devices ... or the Microsoft Windows Desktop app." It does not provide any news on when this should arrive. But we would hope (now that we've learned this snafu is about a contract) that Roku devices should get this support soon.

This was a bit of a surprise, as Disney didn't mention the lack of support in its press announcement (opens in new tab) that the ad-supported Disney Plus basic was live. That said, Netflix with ads had a similar (but arguably less severe) issue at launch.

While Netflix with ads was available on the two biggest streaming platforms (Fire TV and Roku), it didn't work on the Apple TV 4K and legacy Google Chromecast (3rd Generation and Ultra) devices.

Analysis: Disney Plus can't skip Roku

While we think Disney Plus with ads beats Netflix with ads overall (both on streaming quality and completeness of its library), this is a big problem. Roku is one of the two biggest streaming device platforms (alongside Fire TV), and you can't cut out that big a swath of the market with your latest endeavor.

Roku is also a prime platform for Disney Plus with ads, a tier that's meant to try and keep users at a lower price (while the main ad-free Disney Plus just went up to $10.99 per month), because users there are used to ads. Roku is constantly filling The Roku Channel with new free linear TV channels. 

These "channels" are known as free ad-supported streaming TV (aka FAST) programming. Amazon integrates ad-supported TV (and many an advertisement) into Fire TV devices, but not as strongly.

As noted above, this lack of support is apparently tied to an inability for both sides to reach a contractual agreement. Given the sizes of both Roku and Disney Plus, an inability to close this deal would be a mistake.

Stay tuned to Tom's Guide for all the news about the best streaming services, as we track the industry's embrace of advertising. For those curious, Prime Video and Apple TV Plus are two of the last competitors holding out.

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When I go to Disney Plus the Disney LOGO comes up and then kicks me back to the home screen.  The only other stream I use - Netflix works fine.  Just Disney PLUS effected.

When problems are confined to a particular channel, it may be that the channel installation has gotten corrupted. A reinstall may fix the problem, so give it a try. Remove/reinstall procedure:

1. Highlight channel on home screen.
2. Press * key and choose Remove channel option.
3. IMPORTANT- DON'T SKIP:
   Restart the Roku to clear its memory via Settings > System > System restart. (On a Roku TV, this is Settings > System > Power > System restart.)
4. Reinstall the channel. Note it will be added to the END of the channel grid.
5. If channel requires a login, you may need to log in anew.

Roku Community Streaming Expert
I am not a Roku employee, only a user like you.  Please, no support questions via private message -- post them publicly to the Community where others may benefit as well.
If this post solves your problem please help others find this answer by clicking "Accept as Solution.".

Streaming Stick 4K+ 3821 | Streaming Stick+ 3810 | TCL Roku TV 43S245/C107X

Disney Plus is one of the hottest services out there which comes with a huge catalogue of exclusive movies and content to its subscribers. The platform also comes with some exciting bundle deals, making it a preferred choice among most users. Interestingly, it can also be added to your Roku TV using the online Roku Channel Store and found on the Roku home screen under streaming channels. The service is supported on a range of Roku TV models; however, there have been several instances where users encountered issues running it on their devices.

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A number of Roku users have complained that they have been facing issues while trying to get Disney Plus to run on their devices. The issue has been raised by many users over the past; however, it can be caused due to specific reasons.

Now, before we focus on the solutions, you should note that Disney+ is available on Roku only in a few countries like the United States and Canada. So, the first thing you need to do is to make sure that Roku offers Disney Plus in your country. If it is available in your country and you are still having trouble, you can try out the steps detailed below.

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How to fix the issue?

If you are having issues trying to run Disney Plus on Roku, the first thing you need to do is perform a system restart. Once you have done that, you need to update it to the latest version. To perform a restart, follow this path - Settings > System > System restart. To perform a system update, follow these steps - Settings > System update.

If that doesn’t seem to resolve the issue, you need to unplug the Roku device from the power outlet, then plug it back in after about a minute. In most cases, this should resolve the issue. However, if you are still facing the issue, you can follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Go to your Roku home screen and select 'Disney+'

Step 2: Press the star button on the remote and click on 'Remove channel' to delete the service.

Step 3: Now, go back to the home screen and use the search bar to search for Disney+ and add it back to the device.

Step 4: Click on the 'Add Channel' button to add it back. This should fix the issue for most users.

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A number of users have also been facing a Disney Plus error 401 on their devices, However, one should note that this error code denotes device incompatibility and it can be faced across various devices and platforms. In this case, all you need to do is check the Disney Plus software and device compatibility list on Disney Plus' official website.

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