Netflix's ad-supported streaming tier now has 40 million monthly active users globally, up 35 million from the previous year, Netflix said today in its Upfront advertising presentation. Netflix has a total of 270 million subscribers worldwide, so most users are still in the ad-free tier.
Netflix has refused to implement an ad-supported tier for years, but has confirmed that it has plans to implement a cheaper option in 2022 to boost revenue. The standard plan with ads launched in late 2022 and became more popular as Netflix increased the price of its ad-free tier.
In the U.S., the standard plan with ads costs $6.99 per month for HD streaming on up to two devices at once and includes access to “all but a few movies and TV shows.” The basic, ad-free plan costs $15.49 per month, and the premium plan costs $22.99 per month. Netflix's ad-supported plans do not include the option to download content for offline viewing, nor do they support spatial audio.
According to Netflix, more than 40% of all subscriptions in countries where ad-supported plans are available are for advertising plans. More than 70% of Netflix's ad-supported members watch more than 10 hours of Netflix content per month, and according to Netflix, subscribers are twice as likely to interact with ads compared to subscribers to other streaming services.
Netflix has had an advertising partnership with Microsoft since launching its ad-supported tier, but plans to launch its own advertising platform in 2025.
In addition to boosting revenue through cheaper, ad-supported options, Netflix has also cracked down on password sharing. After ending the use of multi-generational accounts, Netflix saw a significant increase in subscribers and increased revenue.
popular stories
OpenAI Announces ChatGPT App for Mac, Free GPT-4, and More
OpenAI announced at its Spring Update event that it will be releasing a desktop app for Mac, as shown in the screenshot below. The app will be rolling out to ChatGPT Plus subscribers starting today, before a wider rollout “in the coming weeks.” “With a simple keyboard shortcut (Option + Space), you can immediately ask ChatGPT a question,” OpenAI’s press release states. Plus the voice…
iOS 17.5 bug reportedly causes old deleted photos to reappear
There's a concerning report on Reddit that Apple's latest iOS 17.5 update introduced a bug that caused old deleted photos (in some cases years old) to reappear in users' photo libraries. One user said she was shocked to see old NSFW photos she deleted in 2021 after updating her iPhone suddenly appear in photos marked as recently uploaded to iCloud. different…
Apple releases tvOS 17.5
Apple today released tvOS 17.5, the fifth update to its tvOS 17 operating system released last September. tvOS 17.5 will be released two months after tvOS 17.4. tvOS 17.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on Apple TV. Go to System > Software Update to download new software. Apple TV owners with automatic software updates enabled will be upgraded to:
Apple previews three new CarPlay features coming with iOS 18
Apple today previewed new accessibility features coming to iOS 18 later this year, and they include several new options for CarPlay. Apple highlighted three new features coming to CarPlay. Voice Control: This feature allows users to navigate CarPlay and control apps using just their voice. Color Filter: This feature makes the CarPlay interface visually easier to use.
Apple releases macOS Sonoma 14.5 with Apple News+ improvements
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.5, the fifth update to the macOS Sonoma operating system released last September. macOS Sonoma 14.5 arrives more than two months after macOS Sonoma 14.4 was released. The macOS Sonoma 14.5 update is available for free download on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There is also macOS 13.6.7…