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Report: Netflix to launch ad-based plan November 1 to beat Disney Plus
- A new report claims Netflix will launch its ad-supported subscription plan on November 1.
- The story says Netflix wants to offer the plan before Disney Plus offers its own ad-based subscription tier on December 8.
- Officially, Netflix says no decisions have been made for its ad-based plan.
Netflix wants to stop the bleeding of its subscriber base, and a few months ago it announced it would launch a new and cheaper subscription tier that would also be supported by ads. Now, new reports claim that the ad-based plan could launch as early as November 1.
Both The Wall Street Journal and Variety, using unnamed sources, claimed to have confirmed the November 1 launch date. Variety added that the plan would launch first in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and other markets. The streaming service previously said it planned to launch the ad-based tier sometime in early 2023. However, Variety reports that the new earlier launch date is designed to beat a similar plan that will be offered by rival Disney Plus starting December 8.
Officially, Netflix would not confirm Variety’s reporting. In a statement, the company said, “We are still in the early days of deciding how to launch a lower-priced, ad-supported tier, and no decisions have been made.”
Netflix has confirmed in the past it is partnering with Microsoft to sell ads for the new plan. An earlier unconfirmed report stated Netflix would charge between $7 to $9 a month for the ad-based plan. The amount of commercials would total four minutes per hour for this subscription. Not all of Netflix’s content would be available on the cheaper plan. Disney Plus has already announced its ad-based plan would cost $7.99 a month, and that its current ad-free plan would go up in price from $7.99 a month to $10.99 a month.
Ahead of these changes, other streaming services are offering limited-time promotions to boost their subscription numbers. Peacock is currently running a discount for its paid Premium Plan for $1.99 a month (normally $4.99 per month) or $19.99 for a full year. HBO Max is also offering deep discounts for signing up for the service for a full year. Paramount Plus has launched a new bundle this week that adds Showtime‘s content to the Paramount Plus app, for as low as $7.99 a month.