Netflix has just announced the latest addition to their streaming platform, which may not be good news for many of its subscribers.
Set to make their debut on 1 November, according to reports made by Variety, Netflix will be introducing advertisements as an all-new feature to their subscription model.
With plans to launch in a variety of locations, including the likes of France, Germany, Canada, Australia and the United States, the price for the new membership tier is reported to be $7-$9 (approx £6.05-£7.77) while the current most basic monthly membership without ads stands at around $9.99 (£6.99).
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This can go up to $19.99 (£15.99) for the premium tier.
The decision follows a particularly rocky period for the streaming platform.
This year alone, Netflix has lost over one million of its once loyal customer base - believed to be a result of the global financial crisis - and the introduction of this cheaper ad-supported tier is believed to generate more buzz for the streaming platform once again.
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The loss of customers, reported in July of this year, led to an abrupt drop in shares falling by a whopping 67 percent.
The soon to launch ad-supported tier will be separate from the other existing membership subscriptions - meaning that only subscribers who opt for the advertisements will be seeing ads on Netflix.
A spokesperson for Netflix has revealed that the company is still in the 'early days' of decision-making.
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“We are still in the early days of deciding how to launch a lower priced, ad-supported option and no decisions have been made,” they said, as reported by The Guardian.
They added: “So this is all just speculation at this point.”
Greg Peters, the chief product officer of Netflix, revealed some insight behind the decision to introduce this new ad-supported tier.
He stated that the streaming platform seeks to "provide an incredible experience for consumers… who choose to take the ad-supported offering, but also provide an incredible experience for brands and advertisers who want to work with us to make sure that we’re doing a good job of elevating what that looks like for them."
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Separating the two different advertising models - terrestrial television and streaming platform - Peters added that he was confident Netflix could successfully 'deliver an experience which is fundamentally different from the ad experience' seen with regular television.
The news follows mixed reactions from avid Netflix watchers, with one writing online: "If they're putting ads on Netflix, I'm definitely leaving. It's bad enough with normal TV and adverts."
"Wasn't streaming supposed to do away with TV commercials," another commented, "Isn't that what made it 'special'?"
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While many were threatening to cancel their membership or hop on to a different streaming platform, others didn't seem to mind all that much, with one Facebook user telling disgruntled Netflix users: "Have more patience people, you might actually learn something."
The new Netflix ad-supported tier will launch 1 November 2022.
Topics: Netflix, TV and Film
Rhiannon Ingle