US-based streaming giant Netflix launched its less-expensive plans that supported ads in November 2022. Initially, these cheaper ads-inclusive plans were unsupported across multiple devices. Now, the latest update for the Netflix app has reportedly added support for Apple TV. According to a report by TechCrunch, users who update their Netflix app to version 2.3.0 will be able to access the Basic with Ads tier on Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K.
What it means for users
The video-streaming company has confirmed that support on tvOS is now available for the ad-supported tier. Earlier, when Netflix’s ad-supported plan was not compatible with Apple’s media player, it asked users to upgrade to an ad-free plan or watch content on another device. Now, Apple TV users will be able to stream content on Netflix even if they have subscribed to the cheaper Basic with Ads plan.
Netflix Basic with Ads plan: Availability
Netflix’s ad-supported plan is available only in a few markets which include — the US, the UK France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. This cheaper plan is yet to become official in India. Netflix also hasn’t shared any plans to bring the cheaper subscription to the country.
Moreover, the Basic with Ads subscription tier also doesn’t support several other devices like — Chromecast, Chromecast Ultra, PlayStation 3 and the Netflix app for Windows. This plan is also unavailable on Android devices running Android 6 or earlier, iPhones/iPads running iOS 14 or earlier and some Blu-ray players along with some other set-top-boxes.
Netflix Basic with Ads plan: More details
As mentioned above, this plan is still unavailable on multiple devices and also supports fewer titles. Ads in this plan are 15 to 30 seconds long and on average there are four to five minutes of ads per hour. Netflix’s Basic with Ads plan even supports a lower video quality of 720p HD. This tier also allows subscribers to stream content only from one device at a time.
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Apart from this, nearly 5% to 10% of Netflix’s content catalogue is unavailable on this plan due to licensing restrictions. Moreover, the ad-supported plan also doesn’t allow subscribers to view content when they are offline.
Netflix Basic with Ads plan: What the company has to say about it
Despite all the shortcomings of the Netflix Basic with Ads plan, the company has shared its happiness about the success of the new tier. At CES 2023 which was held in Las Vegas, Netflix President of Worldwide Advertising, Jeremi Gorman said there is a “broad swath” of advertisers on the platform.
However, a report by analytics firm Antenna claimed that only 9% of new Netflix subscribers in the US have signed up for the cheaper plan. The report was published almost a month after the company launched the new plan.
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