Netflix has officially launched Basic with Ads. What are its limitations

Netflix has officially launched in some of the regions its services that include ads. This gives subscribers the option of a cheaper subscription with certain limitations for a lower price. Of course, not many users might be willing to pay and also receive ads while watching, so it will be interesting to watch the evolution of this subscription over the next few months. Here’s what you’re giving up if you choose such a subscription in the future.

The Basic with Ads subscription is now available in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Spain. It comes at a price of $7 US per month, or €5/6 in European countries.

What are the limitations of Netflix subscription with ads

Those who choose such a subscription, however, are actually giving up some of Netflix’s biggest advantages over traditional TV. For example, in terms of video quality, this basic subscription only offers 720p HD resolution, not 1080p or 4K. For playback on a phone, 720p should be enough, but anyone with a modern TV at home is sure to feel the difference in quality between 720p, and 1080p or 4K. Then, you can’t download local content to your devices, and an internet connection is always required for access. What’s more, some movies and TV shows aren’t accessible with this subscription. Netflix says it is working with licensees to ensure parity in the future between content on ad-supported and ad-free subscriptions.

Then the ads, which apparently support the other side of the subscription in terms of cost, will be very intrusive, perhaps even more annoying than on TV. Although they will be shorter, they will be more frequent, similar to those on YouTube, for example. Netflix says these ads will be 15 or 30 seconds long and take up only 4-5 minutes of each hour of playback. The ads appear before the movie or episode plays, but may also interrupt content along the way. On TV in Romania, TV channels can show 12 minutes of adverts per hour of broadcast time. However, on TV you pay for a cable subscription that costs hundreds less to access than Netflix’s new ad-supported subscription.

Many streaming services are moving in this direction

Disney+ and HBO Max have adopted ad-supported subscriptions, too, so this component of movie and series streaming will remain. Fortunately, more expensive subscriptions remain immune to such disruptions. Netflix hopes this cheaper pricing plan will bring its service closer to younger audiences who don’t watch traditional TV.