Netflix Launches Tier With Ads, But Some Shows Are Missing

Those who cut the cord in favor of Netflix as an alternative to television with ads … well, you can still pay a few bucks extra and watch that way.

But for those wanting to save a few dollars who don’t mind sitting through a couple of ads, Netflix has officially launched a version of their streaming service that is cheaper but does include commercial interruptions. According to Netflix’s official website, it’s called “Basic with Ads — a plan with everything people love about Netflix, at a lower price, with a few ads in-between.”

They claim that “Tiffany & Co.’s ad featuring Beyoncé was the first ad to ever run on the service in Canada on November 1, and members in twelve countries can expect to see ads from several of the world’s most recognized brands, such as GM, L’Oreal, McDonald’s, LVMH, Subway, Target, Heinz and Carnival Cruises.” If that matters to you.

The new plan costs $6.99 a month, compared with $9.99 for the Basic Plan without ads, and $15.49 for the Standard Plan, and $19.99 for the Premium Plan. Here’s how each shakes out:

While the vast majority of Netflix’s catalogue is available on the “Basic With Ads” tier, not everything that comes with the Standard plan is included there. Ad tier customers can’t watch House of Cards, for example, which was technically made by an outside production company, not Netflix. The same goes for other popular titles like Arrested Development, The Crown, Cobra Kai, and Peaky Blinders. They’re only available at tiers without ads.

As the graphic above also indicates, if you sign up for Basic With Ads you lose the ability to download titles to watch them later offline. If you watch Netflix a lot on a tablet while traveling, that might be a dealbreaker.