Why You Can Trust CNET How to Watch Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Concert Film
Celebrate the start of The Tortured Poets Department era by reliving Swift's record-breaking concert at home.
Drop everything now. Taylor Swift's newest album, The Tortured Poets Department and its surprise companion album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, are officially here. And if you want to celebrate and relive all the eras that came before, you can now watch Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert film exclusively on Disney Plus. The Disney Plus version of the film includes new performances, including Cardigan, and says goodbye to a few fan favorites.
The first version of the Eras Tour movie hit theaters late last year, and became the highest-grossing concert film ever, as reported by Variety. Then it was available to rent on demand. Now the Disney Plus version of the film promises new performances and says goodbye to some fan favorites.
Are you ready for it? If not, we've got you covered. Here's everything we know about the new concert film, how to watch Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version), and why a VPN might be a useful tool for streaming.
Read more: Watch Taylor Swift's Exclusive Eras Tour Clip a Day Early on Apple's App Store
What's new in the Disney Plus version of the film?
Disney Plus' version of the flick will feature Swift's performance of Cardigan, which was previously cut from the theatrical release of the movie, and four additional acoustic songs. You can check out a preview of the Cardigan performance here, in an exclusive early clip on Apple's App Store. Swift had also released the names of the four new acoustic performances leading up to Thursday's release on ABC's Good Morning America (also owned by Disney). Now that the film has officially dropped, we know that the four acoustic songs featured in the Disney Plus version of the film are I Can See You, Death By A Thousand Cuts, You Are in Love and Maroon (which is accompanied by another performance of You're On Your Own Kid). It's important to note that these songs are included at the end of the film, after the credits.
Swift recorded six acoustic songs during filming in August, and the performances of Our Song and You're on Your Own, Kid made both the theatrical and on-demand rental versions of the film. Now, all six performances have found their way into the concert flick, which is an extra treat for super fans like ourselves.
Songs excluded from the Disney Plus cut of the movie include Long Live, The Archer, Wildest Dreams and No Body, No Crime.
The Eras Tour concert film hits streaming on March 14.
Disney Plus is already home to another Swift exclusive, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, a series that chronicles the making of her 2020 album Folklore. Swift's other documentaries and concert films have been available sporadically on various streaming services, including Netflix and Prime Video.
Release time for the Eras Tour film in the US and abroad
The film will land on Disney Plus on Thursday, March 14 at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET) in all territories except Turkey, where it will be released on April 3. Swift announced that the film would be available earlier on Monday, along with a new trailer.
Pricing for Disney Plus starts at $8 per month in the US, but if you live in Canada, the platform costs CA$12 a month. UK fans can get the service for either £5 with ads, or £8 a month without ads. You can subscribe for a year and save 16%. In Australia, fans get Disney Plus for AU$14 per month.
Disney Plus is the one-stop streaming location for the company's streaming catalog. Subscribers can stream Disney classics, Marvel Studios movies and TV shows and all new Star Wars content.
In the US, Disney Plus' Basic plan will set you back $8 a month, and the Premium plan costs $14 a month or $140 a year.
Disney Plus will serve as the exclusive streaming home for The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version), so if you want to stream the flick, you'll need to sign up for the service.
How to stream the film using a VPN
Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming, too.
A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and security standards.
You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are legal in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list such as Surfshark or NordVPN.
ExpressVPN is CNET's current best VPN pick. You can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 a month — if you get the annual subscription. Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where The Eras Tour movie is streaming on Disney Plus. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream The Eras Tour film on more than one device, you may need to configure each one to ensure you are signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open Disney Plus to stream.
If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and you've picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.
Correction, Feb. 9: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of Taylor Swift's studio albums. The Tortured Poets Department, set for release in April, will be her 11th studio album.