Netflix is already starting in Germany in November with a cheaper advertising subscription. This will be significantly cheaper for 5 euros per month, but there are some restrictions that you should be aware of.
Netflix shows advertising: cheap subscription starts on November 3rd
Netflix is struggling and is looking for a way out of the crisis: since the beginning of 2022, the number of customers has been declining for the first time in the history of the streaming veteran and is currently at a new low. In order to continue to flush money into the coffers – and superficially cheap entry-level offer to have ready – the freedom of advertising on Netflix will soon come to an end.
At least for subscribers who would rather put up with commercial breaks than pay high monthly fees. After delays until 2023, which were only announced, things are now going faster again: The basic subscription with advertising starts on November 3, 2022, from 5 p.m. in Germany. This will not change anything for existing Netflix customers.
In the advertising subscription four to five minutes of advertising per hour to be shown. However, in small bites of 15 to 30 seconds in length. The advertisements can appear before and during a series or film.
If you opt for the low price of 4.99 euros per month, you have to accept a few more restrictions: The Image quality is limited to 720p/HD, UHD or 4K is not offered in the promotional subscription. There will also be no downloads to watch films or series offline. Also, not all Netflix selections will be available.
With its own productions, such as Stranger Things, Netflix can do whatever it wants. They can be shown overnight with a promotional subscription. It looks different with third-party productions: series like You (Warner Bros.), Matryoshka (universal) or Cobra Kai (Sony), whose studios must agree to a release in the ad-supported model. But also classics like Breaking Bad are on the brink (source: Engadget).
There are cheaper streaming alternatives than Netflix, here is a big comparison:
Netflix’s advertising subscription will not show all series and films
Netflix has announced that it will continue to work to make as much content as possible available to all subscribers (source: Netflix). But there is no guarantee. If a studio gets in the way, Netflix has no choice.
These problems are unlikely to go down well with those interested in the subscription model. According to Netflix boss Ted Sarandos, it will be possible to offer “some more content” than previously set, “but certainly not all”. So, in terms of choice, Netflix is forced to do that demoting the subscription model to second-class Netflix.
