Netflix's Ad-Supported Tier May Be Missing A Key Feature

Back in June, it was officially confirmed that ads are indeed coming to Netflix, as part of a new, cheaper tier. Currently, it’s not known exactly when this will be rolled out - Deadline previously reported that it’d be releasing sometime in early 2023. Netflix isn’t alone in introducing ads to their service - Disney+ will also be rolling out a cheaper, ad-supported tier in December (along with a price hike to their existing ad-free subscription).

Take a look at the trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which is set to release on Netflix on 13 September.

Netflix’s CEO and chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, already revealed that not all content will be included in this cheaper tier when it releases. “The vast majority of what people watch on Netflix, we can include in the ad-supported tier,” he previously said. "We will clear some additional content but certainly not all of it but don’t think it’s a material holdback for the business.”

Now, as reported by GameSpot, code spotted within the Netflix app has suggested that offline downloads might not be available in the ad-supported tier. Currently, regardless of pricing plan, any user can download content to watch without an internet connection - something which is incredibly useful both for if you’re going somewhere without Wi-Fi, or if your home’s connection isn’t strong enough to stream shows and movies without buffering issues.

Currently, it’s not known for sure if offline downloads will definitely be omitted from the cheaper tier, so we’ll have to wait for the official word.