After years of discussion, Netflix executives have approved an ad-supported subscription plan for November 2022.
Netflix Basic With Ads is set to launch November 3 at 9 a.m. PT in the United States-priced at $6.99 per month. The new plan will be available in the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, U.K. and U.S. It will first appear in Canada and Mexico on Nov. 1.
The new plan will include an abridged version of Netflix’s content catalog. A “limited number of movies and TV shows won’t be available due to licensing restrictions, and we’re going to be working on reducing that over time,” Netflix chief operating officer Greg Peters said to Variety. He also confirmed that downloading content for offline viewing will not be an option for this plan.
Netflix noticed a decrease in subscribers during the first half of 2022, as other streaming services have become more popular. The company wants to regain and expand its lost audiences with the new, more affordable price point.
The new option “represents an exciting opportunity for advertisers-the chance to reach a diverse audience, including younger viewers who increasingly don’t watch linear TV, in a premium environment with a seamless, high-resolution ads experience,” Peters added.
The plan will show viewers commercials that are either 15 or 30 seconds, averaging about four to five minutes per hour.
Netflix executives want to launch the plan before their competitor, Disney+, releases a similar service in December.