Netflix, how subscriptions change with the arrival of advertising

Netflix

In the end, Netflix really did it. From 3 November, the streaming giant will introduce a subscription plan supported in part by advertising in twelve countries including Italy, which will add to the three already available and which will cost € 5.49 per month in our country. The move, announced by the same company on July 13, represents an attempt by Netflix to attract new subscribers and in doing so recover after two quarters in which the platform has suffered significant losses.

The different subscription plans

From November 3rd, the subscription plans available on Netflix will therefore be four and no longer three.

The premium plan costs 17.99 euro per month, offers Ultra HD resolution and allows viewing of the platform's contents simultaneously on four devices at a time. There are no restrictions of any kind on the content that can be accessed, whether they are movies, TV series or mobile games, and there is no advertising of any kind. You can also download content on four devices at a time.

The Standard Plan costs $ 12.99 per month, offers Full HD resolution, and allows you to view and download content on two devices at a time. Here, too, there are no limitations on content and there is no advertising of any kind.

The basic plan instead costs € 7.99 per month and is designed for individuals who intend to be the only ones to take advantage of the subscription. Here, too, there are no limitations on the contents that can be accessed, but it is possible to view and download the contents of the platform only on one device at a time. From November, the resolution will be HD.

The basic plan with advertising - which as mentioned will debut at the beginning of November - will offer HD resolution and will allow the viewing of contents on one device at a time. There will be no ability to download content, and - due to some licensing issues that Netflix says it is working on - there will be restrictions on what content you can access. It is still unclear how limited the experience of those who choose this subscription plan will be compared to others.

How advertising will work

The advertising service will be supported by Microsoft. In practice, there will be about four minutes of advertising every hour, both before the start and while viewing the content. Netflix specifies, however, that the specific length may vary depending on what you are watching, without better clarifying on the basis of what. It will not be possible to skip the advertisement, but if the user considers that an advertisement is inappropriate, difficult to watch, hear or understand, he can report it directly from the screen by clicking on the flag icon that will appear at the top right. It should also be specified that the advertising will not concern the gaming section.

An industry change?

Netflix's move to introduce advertising anticipates Disney +'s launch of a similar option by about a month, so a new subscription is supported advertising will start in the United States on December 8 at a price of $ 7.99 per month. It therefore seems that streaming will begin to look more and more like traditional television. According to some, this is an inevitable transition. In July, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings predicted traditional TV would disappear within ten years. Although this is a somewhat reckless forecast, there is no doubt that streaming platforms are increasingly taking the place of the TV we know, and it is increasingly common for them to make choices that in some way bring them closer to traditional TV. . In addition to this decision to introduce a subscription with advertising, some time ago Netflix began measuring its ratings in the United Kingdom: a move of enormous scope for a company that had until now always kept an eye on its audience numbers.