After months of speculation, Netflix has finally announced a new ad-supported tier called “Basic with Ads.” The new plan, which will cost $6.99 per month, is set to launch in 12 countries on November 3.
Netflix’s “Basic With Ads” plan to launch on November 3
In an announcement post, Netflix details what the new “Basic with Ads” plan will offer. The plan will feature components of the existing Basic, Standard, and Premium plans such as an extensive library of content, a personalized viewing experience, and availability on a wide range of TV and mobile devices. Users will be able to change or cancel their plans at any time.
As for what will be different, streaming quality will now be capped at 720p for the ad-supported tier as well as Netflix’s standard Basic plans. In addition to this, the ad-supported plan does not offer the ability to download titles. Netflix also says that users will be offered a limited number of movies and TV shows due to licensing restrictions – but the streaming giant says it is working on it.
As for the ads that will be included in the “Basic with Ads” plan, Netflix says that an average of 4 to 5 minutes of ads will be shown per every hour of content. At launch, the ads will be 15 or 30 seconds in length and will play before and during shows and films.
In the announcement post, Netflix also touched on advertising and how targeted ads will be shown to viewers:
To help advertisers reach the right audience — and ensure our ads are more relevant for consumers — we’ll offer broad targeting capabilities by country and genre (e.g. action, drama, romance, sci-fi). Advertisers will also be able to prevent their ads from appearing on content that might be inconsistent with their brand (e.g. sex, nudity or graphic violence).
“Basic with Ads” is set to launch on November 3 at 9 am Pacific Time. At launch, the plan will be available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
One of Netflix’s biggest competitors, Disney+ is also gearing up to launch its own ad-supported tier for $7.99 per month. The lower-cost tier will be coming to the service on December 8.
