Netflix’s ad-supported tier will reportedly launch 1 November

Netflix could launch its much-discussed ad-supported plan on 1 November, with “industry sources” claiming it is accelerating the launch to beat Disney+ to the punch.

The new, cheaper tier was originally scheduled for early 2023 but with Disney+ Basic due to become available on 8 December, Netflix reportedly feels it needs to get its offering out first.

Variety writes that the currently unnamed subscription plan will initially be available in the US, Canada, UK, France and Germany.

It also claims that Netflix and its advertising partner, Microsoft, have set ad buyers the deadline of 30 September to lock in the first wave of commercials. The company is said to be targeting a userbase of 500,000 by the end of 2022 for the new tier.

It’s not entirely known what viewers should expect, but it’s claimed that Netflix will be looking to include around four minutes of advertising per hour of broadcast. There will also be frequency caps, writes Variety, of one ad spot per hour and three per day per viewer.

Targeted ads will be limited at launch.

We don’t yet know how much Netflix plans to charge for its new tier. Its current plans start at £6.99 / $9.99, but for just one screen at a time and standard definition video. The standard tier is £10.99 / $15.49 for HD streaming.

We expect it to be around the same as Disney+ Basic – Disney’s own ad-supported plan coming in December. That will reportedly be priced at $7.99 in the US.