A couple of thoughts on the Netflix ad-supported plan

The Guardian, Netflix to launch cheaper ad-supported subscription tier in November

Netflix will reportedly launch a cheaper ad-supported tier for its streaming platform at the start of November as the company tries to stem the loss of more than 1 million subscribers in 2022.

[…]

According to reports, Netflix’s service will launch in the US, France, Germany, Australia and Canada among other places, and is expected to be priced between US$7 and $9. The most basic Netflix subscription now costs US$9.99 or $15.49 for a standard subscription.

​[…]

The ad tier would be additional to the existing tiers, meaning current subscribers would not see any ads on Netflix.

We have subscribed to Netflix since we cut the cord several years ago. It’s our most watched streaming service. That said there is no way I would switch to the ad-supported subscription to save a few bucks as has been suggested that some might do. I don’t want to see any fucking ads and I sure as hell hope that they don’t start putting ads to the other tiers.

There’s also a risk that the company might bring ads to the basic and standard tiers in exchange for not hiking prices in the future, especially if the ad-supported tier becomes successful.

On the other hand, for services that we only watch occasionally I don’t mind seeing ads to save a few bucks. For example, we subscribe to the $6.99 ad-supported plan for Hulu.

Originally published at http://ldstephens.net on September 9, 2022.