Yesterday, Netflix shared its Q1 2023 letter with its shareholders. With that, the streaming giant has made a special announcement. The ad-supported tier of the streaming service will now have two brand-new features.
Firstly, users of this tier will be able to stream on two different devices at the same time. Secondly, and most importantly, the ad-supported tier is getting a streaming quality jump.
You can stream your favorite shows and movies at FHD resolution in this tier. And the best part is that you will get both features without paying anything extra.
When Netflix announced its ad-supported tier, it was good news for anyone who wanted to get into the streaming service but did not want to spend too much for it.
However, the 720p streaming resolution limit was the biggest throw-off for most. After all, almost all phones and computer devices made their shift to 1080p displays long ago.
Many even called Netflix out for restricting the ad-supported plan users with a sub-par streaming resolution. Well, it seems the streaming giant is not that bad.
It listened to the requests of its users and finally made the change they had been waiting for. Now, with the two significant changes, Netflix has brought the ad-supported tier closer to its Basic plan.
All that’s missing is that the Basic plan allows downloads on one device. Of course, the Basic plan does not have any ads.
But that is a given, as the ad-supported tier was able to keep the price low for showing ads, to begin with.
On that note, the streaming giant might also have plans to upgrade the image quality and concurrent stream count of the Basic tier.
Currently, the Basic tier allows you to steam at 720p and on one device at a time. But if it doesn’t, the Basic tier with ads could be a middle ground between the Basic and the Standard tier.
Of course, whether you put it in the middle of the two plans will depend on how much value you put on the streaming quality.
That said, the Basic plan with ads is also in-line with the plan that HBO offers, which is HBO Max Ad-Lite. The same thing applies to Hulu With Ads. However, the ad-supported Disney+ plan is still superior among the bunch. Wondering why?
It lets the users stream their favorite shows in 4K! But, yes, the fact that Netflix finally brought 1080p streaming to its ad-supported tier is indeed a great step.
It will make quality streams available to the mass. And with the increase in users, hopefully, the streaming giant will bring more features to the budget-friendly tier.
Slava is a man of mystery and no-one seems to know exactly where he is at any point in time. When he isn't enjoying writing about all things audio and technical he can be found researching his next project of interest. The man never rests.