Netflix plans to bring a new subscription plan with ads. But in addition to advertising, the company will reportedly impose certain restrictions on this subscription package.
Based on the Netflix app code, it appears that the company does not allow subscribers of this plan to download movies or series. In other words, Netflix only allows download and offline viewing features for subscribers of the ad-free plan, which is certainly more expensive.
To note, the download or download feature was first introduced by Netflix in 2016. Account owners can download a movie or other content, to watch when offline.
However, the company doesn’t seem to present the feature as an advantage. In fact, Netflix seems to be offering the feature to reach customers in areas with less stable internet.
The move is part of Netflix’s efforts to differentiate ad-free subscriptions from ad-supported subscriptions. In early 2022, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said an ad-supported subscription wouldn’t include all the same ad-free content.
Simply put, Netflix may restrict access to certain movies or series, and those who subscribe to an ad-supported plan may not be able to watch the same content.
When it comes to advertising, Netflix partnered with Microsoft to make it an ad technology and sales partner. The new ad-supported subscription will be cheaper than the standard ad-free subscription and is expected to arrive next year.
