Want to pay less for Netflix? Now you can, but with ads
If you feel like you are paying too much for Netflix, now you have a less expensive option. On Thursday, Netflix announced that, starting November, it will offer customers a "Basic with Ads" plan for $6.99 a month – the lowest-priced Netflix subscription tier.
Just like the name implies, this plan will offer most of what the Basic Plan has, but with ads.
With the Basic with Ads plan, users will be able to watch Netflix on one supported device at a time and take advantage of *almost* all of Netflix's streaming catalog. Video quality will remain the same as that of the Basic plans, supporting up to 720p/HD.
Netflix shares that the ads will be 15 or 30 seconds long at launch, and you can expect an average of four or five minutes of ads per hour.
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In addition to the ads, the major disadvantages of this plan will be that a limited number of movies and TV shows won't be available for streaming due to licensing restrictions, and you will not be able to download any titles.
Netflix long resisted the idea of adding ad-supported content, but the move comes at a time when the streaming service finds itself struggling to keep subscribers.
If you are like me, and the thought of having ads on Netflix makes you shudder, do not worry: all the other plan options that are in place now will remain untouched.
This plan will be Netflix's lowest-priced option, followed by its Basic, Standard and Premium options, which retail at $9.99, $15.49 and $19.99 a month. The only difference between the later three tiers are how many devices you can watch Netflix and download videos on at the same time.
The plan will launch on November 3 at 9 am PT and will be available in 12 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Spain, the UK, and the US. If your country is not listed, do not fret, Netflix says it expects to launch in more countries over time.
If you are interested, subscribing is simple – all you need to do is visit Netflix's website after the Basic with Ads tier launches and register.