As expected, Netflix today began rolling out its $6.99 ad-supported tier. After initially going live in Canada and Mexico, the tier will become available in a larger number of countries at 9am Pacific Time (12pm Eastern).
At that time, the tier will go live in the U.S., UK, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, reports Deadline. Spain will gain access to the ad-based tier of service on November 10.
What stays the same: A wide variety of TV shows and movies; a personalized viewing experience; availability on a wide range of TV and mobile devices; the ability to change or cancel your plan at any time.
What’s different: Video quality up to 720p/HD; an average of 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour; a limited number of movies and TV shows won’t be available due to licensing restrictions; no ability to download titles.
Netflix content won’t always be interrupted by commercials, as major releases will offer a pre-movie string of ads but no ads will interrupt the film.
“We’ll try to preserve that sort of cinematic model there,” said Netflix COO and product head Greg Peters. Films that have “been on the service for a while” will have a combination of pre-roll and mid-roll ads, but with “less frequent breaks.”
