Netflix’s cheap, Basic with Ads streaming plan is now a reality
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After Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ June confirmation That an ad-supported tier would be coming to the service, the company today released details about its new Basic with Ads plan.
Netflix Basic with ads will cost $6.99 / £4.99 per month when it launches on November 3 in the US and UK. The level will also be available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Spain, with both Canada and Spain getting a head start through a November 1 launch.
According to a Netflix business blog post announcing the ad-supported tier, the new offering won’t affect the pricing of current plans, which range from $9.99 to $19.99 per month in the US and £10. 99 to £15.99 in the UK.
The message noted that ads will be 15 or 30 seconds long and will appear both before and during streamed programs. In general, viewers can expect 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour. As with the service’s current basic plan, video quality will be capped at 720p HD rather than the 4K with HDR available on the Premium tier.
According to Netlix, not all current programs will be available on the ad-supported tier “due to licensing restrictions”. As for the number of blocked shows, the company estimates that “about 5% to 10% of total programming will be unavailable, depending on the country.”
Netflix’s post also confirmed our fears that users of the Basic with Ads tier will not be able to download shows, an opportunity offered to Basic, Standard and Premium subscribers.
Analysis: Netflix with ads was inevitable
We can’t say we didn’t see this coming. For the past two years, Netflix has made an effort to keep up with the new streaming competition from Disney, HBO and other entertainment giants. The company’s subscriber base plummeted in the first half of 2022, forcing it to lay off staff and cancel productions in the works, particularly in the animation category.
Netlix’s new ad-supported plan comes just a month before the launch of the Disney+ ad-supported tier, which at $7.99 will be a more expensive option for those looking to control household streaming costs amid ongoing inflation and economic pressures. .
For some viewers, excluding shows from the ad-supported tier can be a deal breaker as many subscribe based on buzz about a specific show. Yeah, maybe not everyone wants to watch The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapesbut can’t stream Weird stuff or Seinfeld after you pay a monthly fee? No thank you!
Not being able to download programs will also be an issue, as many take advantage of this feature to watch programs during commutes or other travel in environments where Wi-Fi or cellular services may be erratic. Spending more money for one of Netflix’s more expensive ad-free tiers solves that problem, of course, but then you’re paying another premium.
With the addition of the new plan, Netflix is now just like any other streaming service that wants to plaster its shows with ads. The move may bring new subscribers to the company, but it certainly won’t help set it apart.
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