According to The New York Times (via Engadget), the streaming giant will be offering an alternative subscription that will utilize advertisements sometime during the end of 2022. This will be a more affordable option for customers, although will have to put up with ads in some form. Paid account sharing is also expected to be introduced around the globe at this time. Expected to arrive somewhere in the last three months of the year, Netflix is cracking down on password sharing, due to the number of subscriptions it can gain, and an ad-supported plan to offer a cheaper option for customers. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stated he is “open to offering even lower prices with advertising,” despite previously being against this type of advertising subscription. The streaming giant is “trying to figure out” the best approach in the next year or two. Netflix is already testing a new method of paid account sharing (opens in new tab) in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. This gives users the ability to share the accounts with up to two users outside their household, albeit at a price that’s cheaper than a whole new subscription. It’s uncertain where this payment scheme will launch to more regions around the globe. COO Greg Peters believed the company will go through a year before deploying, but it could be closer to the end of 2022. To put pricing into perspective, Netflix’s increased streaming subscriptions include $9.99 per month for basic streaming, $15.49 for HD streaming, and $19.99 for 4K Ultra HD streaming. This isn’t the first we’ve heard about a streaming service looking to introduce advertising as part of a subscription option, as competitor Disney Plus announced it will be adding an ad-supported subscription tier in late 2022 in the US and 2023 internationally. Either way, prepare for a bump in price and ads coming to Netflix.
