Your Netflix Binging May Soon Include Commercial Breaks
We interrupt your otherwise enjoyable Monday to announce that, for the first time ever, your tranquil Netflix streaming experience may soon be interrupted by commercials.
According to Cord Cutters News, some Netflix subscribers have recently reported seeing ads before and after shows. Netflix admitted to the publication that it’s “always testing new things via the service,” but it would not confirm any plans of furthering the rollout of the apparent ad experiment.
The spokesperson for Netflix, however, did include that when it comes to testing new features, “many … never see a [full] rollout.” So even though some viewers watching Netflix on their Roku, TiVo, or Xbox One were caught by surprise when the start of, say, an episode of Daredevil paused for a short commercial, you may never actually experience this annoyance. That is, at least not until Netflix officially announces some kind of revamped, ad-based subscription model.
Netflix currently offers a basic (non-HD) subscription for $7.99 a month, a standard (HD) subscription for $8.99 a month, and a premium (UHD) option for $11.99 monthly.
If Netflix does add ads, it would hardly be unique among its streaming competitors. For roughly the same monthly cost, Hulu Plus blasts viewers with ads before, during, and after shows. Netflix could conceivably adopt a similar revenue model.
We return you now to your regularly scheduled (and properly ruined) day.
Via: Engadget
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UPDATE: A Netflix spokesperson told TechCrunch Monday that the new test “ads” some subscribers have been seeing are all promos for original Netflix shows, and that the streaming service is not experimenting with introducing third-party commercials.
“Our policy around ads is unchanged,” the spokesperson explained. “We have no plans to support third-party ad units.”
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