Netflix Cheapest Ad Supported Plan Finally Comes to Apple TV

Netflix has expanded the availability of its ad-supported plan to Apple TV users, following a months-long delay. The cheaper tier, dubbed "Basic with Ads," was introduced in November 2022 but was initially unavailable on several devices, including Apple TV.

Now, with the latest update (version 2.3.0) of the Netflix app on Apple TV, users can access the ad-supported plan, as confirmed by Netflix to TechCrunch.

Cheapest Netflix Plan Quietly Comes to Apple TV

When the plan was first launched, Apple TV users were prompted to either upgrade to more expensive Netflix plans or try the service on a different device. Netflix had informed TechCrunch that the Basic with Ads plan would eventually become available on tvOS, and this week's update has fulfilled that promise.

However, the ad-supported plan remains unavailable on other devices, such as Chromecast, Chromecast Ultra, PlayStation 3, and the Netflix app for Windows. There is no indication as to when these devices will gain access to the Basic with Ads tier.

HD-Only Plan Has 10% Content Missing

The Netflix Basic with Ads plan, priced at $6.99 per month, offers HD content streaming on one supported device at a time. The plan features 15 to 30-second ads before and during shows and films, with an average of four to five minutes of ads per hour. The video quality is limited to 720p HD, and subscribers can only stream content on one device simultaneously.

Licensing restrictions mean that 5% to 10% of Netflix's content catalog is unavailable to ad-supported plan subscribers, who also lack access to offline viewing.

Available in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico, the ad-supported plan experienced a slow start, with only 9% of new US Netflix subscribers opting for the cheaper option, according to analytics firm Antenna.

Netflix Successfully Entices Subscribers With Cheap Plan

However, Bloomberg reported that the number of users on the Basic with Ads plan increased by 500% after one month, and by another 50% after two months. As of January, over a million subscribers had chosen the plan, and this number is expected to have grown since then.

In addition to the ad-supported plan expansion, Netflix announced its intention to bring 40 more games to its platform later this year, with 70 more titles currently in development alongside its partners. This is in addition to the 16 games being developed by Netflix's in-house game studios.