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Fromthe best game showsto theapocalyptic thrillerLeave The World Behind,the streaming serviceNetflixhas been a big part of people’s lives for many years now. SinceNetflix has introduced ad-free and ad-supported tiers, customers have to get used to a huge change in how they watch the movies and TV shows on the platform.
Several streaming services have now introduced ad-supported and ad-free tiers. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, customers will need to spend $10 more on Hulu,$8.50 more on Netflix, $6 on Disney+ and $2.99 more on Amazon Prime Video if they don’t want to see ads. THR noted that AppleTV+ could put ads on the service in the future, and Paramount has plans for 2024. If Netflix does one important thing on their ad-supported tier, it will make the viewing experience much smoother and more enjoyable.
According toVariety, Netflix’s ad-supported tier,Netflix Basic With Ads, started back in November 2022. If customers in the United States choose theStandardtier, they will pay$15.49monthly. If they want ads, they will pay$6.99. That is quite a price difference.
This is quite a big change since, ever since users first signed up for Netflix, they have been able to watchthe best Netflix horror moviesorNetflix thriller shows likeYouwithout any commercials.
Part 1: May 16 and Part 2: June 13
TBD (2024)
American Primeval
The Hollywood Reporteralso noted that streamers are making money from ad-supported tiers. NBCUniversal, Discovery, Paramount, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney executives have all explained that the “total revenue per user” is better on ad-supported tiers.
The most important thing that needs to happen is ensuring thatad breaks make sense on Netflix ad-supported tiersand not placing them randomly. Streaming series likeLocke & Key,which has many memorable scenes, are so engaging because they don’t have any commercial breaks. Watching them with ads will inevitably feel frustrating and make it hard to get lost on the story. Since customers mostly watch streaming service TV shows by binge-watching, this is a significant issue. If the ads feel like they come at the right time, then customers won’t feel as irritated at having to watch ads and they will still focus on the creativity of the TV show or movie.
Besides the fact that customers aren’t happy about spending more money to watch TV and movies without ads on streamers, creatives aren’t thrilled about this news, either. When The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, the creators of the hit Netflix seriesWednesday, they said that they wrote ad breaks into the script for season 1 and will do that for season 2 as well. It made sense to them, but it didn’t impede the storytelling process.Season 2 ofWednesdaywill hopefully answer questionsand it will also be interesting to see where the ads go, if customers opt to go for the less pricey option.
Other creatives are opposed to ads, though. David E. Kelley spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and said that if Amazon Prime Video customers had an ad-supported tier, they had a different viewing experience ofNine Perfect Strangers. He said:
“Sometimes it upends the piece. I thoughtNine Perfect Strangerswith commercials was horrible. We sold it as a one-hour show, and it was served like a pie — but it was pudding. You can’t cut pudding into slices, and that’s exactly what was done.”
Is Streaming With Ads Unavoidable?
While many would rather watch streaming shows and movies without any ads at all, it does seem like ad-supported tiers on services like Netflix are bound to happen. While these services felt like a break from traditional cable that of course includes commercial breaks, that ad revenue is invaluable for companies.
