Netflix confirms ads and new pricing will arrive next month

Back in June, it was confirmed that adverts are coming to Netflix as part of a new, cheaper subscription tier, and now the day is almost upon us. The streaming giant has announced that the “Basic with ads” tier will be launching in early November, with dates varying depending on where you live. 

Canada and Mexico will be receiving the new tier first on 1 November, followed by the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Japan and Korea on 3 November. Finally, on 10 November, Spain will get access. 

While you're here, take a look at the trailer for The Midnight Club - a new Netflix series which has set a world record for jump scares.

The Basic with ads tier will allow users to watch movies and shows at up to 720p quality on one device at a time, but obviously, with adverts playing at the beginning or during most viewing sessions - according to the official press release, you can brace yourself for about four to five minutes of ads per hour. If you’re using Netflix Games, however, ads won’t be shown. As for the pricing, users can get ready to pay £4.99/$6.99 a month - so it’s £2/$3 less than the existing Basic plan. 

“We’re confident that with Netflix starting at £4.99 a month, we now have a price and plan for every fan,” Greg Peters, Netflix’s chief operating officer and chief product officer said in a press release. “While it’s still very early days, we’re pleased with the interest from both consumers and the advertising community and couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. As we learn from and improve the experience, we expect to launch in more countries over time.”

Basic with ads won’t include every feature that users of the Basic tier have been used to, however. You won’t be able to download content to watch offline, for example, and some TV shows and movies will be missing altogether. Don’t worry, the likes of Stranger Things and Sex Education are safe, as are all the Netflix originals, but some licensed content will be totally absent.