According to reports, Netflix’s ad-supported tier plan just got worse, as subscribers at this level will be unavailable from downloading shows or films for offline viewing.
Following the announcement earlier this year that Netflix had failed to meet its lofty subscriber targets, the streaming platform announced that it would launch a lower-cost version of its current subscriptions that would display advertisements to users.
However, since the announcement, new information about the upcoming tier has emerged, indicating that it will be a subpar option in more ways than one.
Recently, code discovered within the app by developer Steve Moser reveals a few messages that users will see when the Netflix with ads tier launches, with one line of text reading “Downloads available on all plans except Netflix with ads.”
While we can’t be certain it will not allow downloads with its ad-supported tier until it makes an official announcement, we expect this to be another way the cheaper option will be inferior to the ad-free tiers. Losing downloads is especially frustrating because they are one of Netflix’s most useful features.
Whether you’re downloading an episode to watch on your commute to work or an entire series to watch on vacation, being able to watch it offline means your entertainment won’t stop just because you don’t have a WIFI connection or your phone’s signal goes out.
Netflix’s ad-supported framework is worsening
This is yet another blow to the ad-supported tier after Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed in July that it will not include every movie and TV show currently available on the standard version of Netflix.
Sarandos said. “There are some things that [wouldn’t be included] – that we are in conversation with the studios on – but if we launched the product today, the members in the ad tier would [still] have a great experience.”
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