Netflix will become the first streamer to offer downloads to ad-supported tier،
Streaming giant Netflix continues to refine its offerings (and what it takes away) as it influences its customer base. Nearly a year ago, it rolled out an ad-supported tier that allowed users to access its content but with ads. With the recent development, it seems that Netflix will soon allow subscribers to download shows and movies.
According to Netflix’s blog, the streaming giant plans to give its subscribers the ability to download movies and shows to watch on repeat. As the plan is ad-supported, users will still see ads served, but the ability to download content makes Netflix the first to do so after becoming the first streaming service to have an ad-supported tier . Disney Plus and Max now also offer ad-supported tiers.
Starting in the first quarter of 2024, Netflix announces that it will show fewer advertisements to subscribers. It will introduce a new binge-ad format whereby if a user ends up binge-watching three episodes of a show, the fourth will be ad-free, meaning there will be no ads while watching this episode.
Of course, there is always a catch. It turns out that Netflix plans to run ads by the title sponsors, which means you’ll end up watching pre-roll ads from brands lasting 10, 20, and 60 seconds overall. This will come as a shock to some since previous pre-roll ads were only 15 and 30 seconds long.
The new ad-supported tier feature will roll out to 12 regions, including the US and UK. The positive side for me is the fact that downloaded shows and movies will not contain any ads and will be treated like the more expensive tiers, so that’s a plus.
Netflix has been raising the prices of its plans for some time now. Basic and Premium took the bullet while Ad-Supported and Standard plans were spared, but that’s the point. A notable fact about Netflix’s ad-supported plan is that it has 15 million monthly active users worldwide, which is a good thing for the giant streamer that is grappling with the word-sharing dilemma password that all premium services must endure.
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