Recently, Netflix announced it might be introducing ads in the coming years, but a new report claims it could be as early as the end of 2022.
The whole point of Netflix, generally, is that you pay a flat subscription fee, get access to plenty of TV shows and movies, and don’t have to watch any ads.
But now, a report from The New York Times claims that a lower-priced ad-supported tier could be introduced by the end of the year. Which would be a marked change from how the platform currently works.
According to The NYT, employees were made aware of this accelerated timeline in a recent note. Netflix executives apparently said they want to introduce ads within the last three months of the year. As well as this, Netflix is planning to crack down on password sharing around the same time.
why is netflix introducing ads?
All of this is very likely due to the fact that Netflix has lost subscribers for the first time in over a decade. The streaming giant reportedly lost around 200,000 subscribers, with forecasts claiming bigger losses to come.
Password sharing is something Netflix deems to be a problem, and wants to maximise revenue from customers it has. But it clearly isn’t taking into consideration how frequently it cancels shows. Leading customers to have a lack of trust in the service.
An ad-supported tier might bring in more customers who want the benefit of Netflix but at a smaller cost. But many just find ads intrusive when it comes to on-demand content. So whether it will work or not remains to be seen.
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Featured Image Credit: Netflix