Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

victorvictoria

macrumors 6502
Oct 15, 2023
495
570
When they raised the rates this year, we decided not to pay up. We went with the ad-supported tier. Everyone has should make a realistic assessment of price/value ratios when streams are tiered. Our TV is only 43", so 4K isn't a big issue (the TV can display it, but it's not worth it for most Netflix. Apple TV+, Disney+ and Max are a different story. There are things we watch on Netllix, but it's hard to wade through the thousands of low-budget films made in Eastern Europe to get to the ones you want to see.
 

DarthDon

macrumors 6502a
Apr 17, 2020
714
821
My brother shared his account with me (i paid in beers). Since they raised the price, i am gone. Too many books are already waiting. Anyway; Netflix is getting boring...
 

Macaholic868

macrumors 6502a
Feb 2, 2017
911
1,244
I get free Netflix from Tmobile, rarely use it these days.

Me too except I pay for the higher priced plan and have T-Mobie bil me for the difference between the free plan you can get through them and the higher priced plan I have.

I keep it because my retired mom likes to use it. My wife and I use it so little that the Netflix algorithms haven’t figured out we’re sharing my account with somebody else either which is strange because she watches it from her iPad at her home which is a town away from my home and on a separate Wii network with separate public IP addresses so I keep waiting for the algorithm to determine that the account is being shared but so far it hasn’t happened which, again, I attribute to Tracy that my wife and I rarely watch it on AppleTV and never do on our iPhones or my iPad.
 

macduke

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,199
19,854
I just found out today that I‘m supposed to get Netflix to watch my Chiefs play an NFL game on Christmas, which is also on a freaking Wednesday.

Sounds like I’ll be sailing the high seas, mateys…
 

pumpkinwhite

macrumors member
Sep 3, 2006
74
53
Having read the release, this was just a call to gain more advertisers. There was absolutely no mention of how many of these ad supported tier subscribers were once full paying subscribers.

How many full paying subscribers has Netflix lost?

Typically streaming networks make more money from their ad tiers, than with their ad-free tiers. No clue whether that's the case with Netflix as well, but given the number of subscribers Netflix has, it's possible. And even if they would have lost full paying subscribers to their ad-tier, they would have likely gained a lot more non-paying subscribers. I'm sure it'll be a net win for them.
 

frownface

macrumors 6502
Mar 15, 2020
286
394
Typically streaming networks make more money from their ad tiers, than with their ad-free tiers. No clue whether that's the case with Netflix as well, but given the number of subscribers Netflix has, it's possible. And even if they would have lost full paying subscribers to their ad-tier, they would have likely gained a lot more non-paying subscribers. I'm sure it'll be a net win for them.

It really doesn't matter to them if it's a net win for them now.

A year ago netflix might've have an ARPU of about 13 bucks or something; but zero ad revenue. Introducing an ad tier today might reduce their ARPU to 10 bucks, but it allows them to start earning that ad revenue. Eventually when enough users signup to an ad supported plan; advertisers will tip and Netflix becomes a "must advertise on" type of platform.

When advertisers are locked in; netflix will ramp up pricing on those ad supported tiers to get that ARPU back to the 13 bucks or whatver it was at the start but they'll also have the cream of ad revenue ontop.
 

pumpkinwhite

macrumors member
Sep 3, 2006
74
53
All the folks here saying Netlix is not worth it, have you compared to other streaming networks of late? The only streaming networks worth subscribing to consistently are Netflix and Amazon Prime. Everybody else has pretty much given up the race, and are focusing on their respective demographics or unique selling propositions -- e.g. Disney+ goes for family crowd, Hulu is the place for new network shows from ABC/FOX/NBC, Apple TV+ is going for SciFi, Max has mature programming etc.

I'm amazed at how far have Disney+, Max and Paramount+ have fallen in terms of new content. You binge watch their new releases in a few days and then there is nothing new to watch on there for months. All of these networks have clearly cut their programming budgets, and even without knowing anything about the industry or current situation of streaming-wars, the decrease in new show cadence clearly shows. I get Max via AT&T and Paramount+ via Walmart+. I've stopped even bothering opening those apps. Max is in a no-man's land cause they are too closely associated with adult-skewing HBO content and families don't like to pay that much monthly subscription for a network they think the entire family won't benefit from. That's why they are trying to disassociate themselves from HBO branding, while also trying to remind everyone they have HBO content. Paramount+ is coasting till they get bought over by somebody. If the Sony/Apollo joint buyout works out, it might be good for them, since they'll probably get Sony content.

Anyway, only Netflix and Prime are 'something for everyone' players right now. Technically, Amazon Prime has the most content, but a lot of it is fringe or international programming which many people won't care for. For most people, if they had to choose just one network, Netflix would be it. If you don't have anything specific in mind to watch, you have the best chance of finding something on Netflix. The amount of content they add every week is just crazy.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Victor Mortimer

Kierkegaarden

macrumors 68020
Dec 13, 2018
2,395
4,060
USA
“Netflix says subscribers are twice as likely to respond to an ad compared to subscribers of other streaming services.”

Based on what? Do they have data from other subscribers? Do they have the data from the ad buyers? What exactly does “respond” mean?
 

Macalicious2011

macrumors 68000
May 15, 2011
1,759
1,789
London
This is classic en-shittification.

Ramp up standard tier pricing to breaking point & then introduce an ad supported tier at the old standard tier pricing points to move price sensitive customers and begin luring in advertising revenue.

They'll keep the ad tier at the low price for some years until a significant portion of subscribers move over and reach a critical mass for most/all advertisers to sign on and locked in.

Once that happens they'll start ramping up the pricing for the ad supported plans. You'll see a $15 ad supported plan within 5 years. I'm sure of it.
Well said. I think they will end up:

Removing the standard add-free option. This will force users into a dilemma of either paying for an ad-supported tier or paying through the nose for 4k premium plan. Basically getting rid of the middle option.

40million is a huge audience to sell to advertisers and it will only grow - especially if they can sell demographically data too.

 

Mac Fly (film)

macrumors 68020
Feb 12, 2006
2,415
7,364
Ireland
Netflix had to invest like crazy and then the price shot up. In fact, as others removed their content Netflix got more expensive.
 

Shirasaki

macrumors P6
May 16, 2015
15,750
11,103
It's all gonna revert to full ads in a few years on these streaming services, there will be no option.

all this wonderful pay low fee for all this content and no annoying ads was a nice dream for a bit. but those shareholders gotta eat.

so it'll will all revert to being like cable.
Shareholders gonna eat lmao. 🤣 🤣 🤣
If anything, those shareholders have plenty to eat luxuriously on a daily basis. It’s all about the insecurity of losing their assets.
But I do agree with the prediction that we are all going back to old cable TV days, but on internet. Some things just don’t change.
 

boss.king

macrumors 603
Apr 8, 2009
6,144
6,909
Having read the release, this was just a call to gain more advertisers. There was absolutely no mention of how many of these ad supported tier subscribers were once full paying subscribers.

How many full paying subscribers has Netflix lost?
This is what I've been asking since they first rolled out this model. How many of their low-tier subscribers were once higher-tier ones? And how much are they making per subscriber now vs before.

I think the fact that Netflix hasn't broken these numbers down is telling.
 

cyanite

macrumors 6502
Sep 28, 2015
336
430
The ad-supported price tier used to be their regular price they charged everyone back when Netflix was worth paying for.

Sure, but prices on services increase over time, due to inflation among other things. It’s not like prices of a hard disk.

Amazing… pay to watch ads. I’m surprised those 40 million users are happy to watch ads while paying for their service.

Not being able to imagine other people’s viewpoint is a common thing here on and Reddit ;). But yeah, I personally wouldn’t pick it either. But you’re not “paying to watch adds”, you’re paying to watch content, with a lower price due to ads.
 

Shirasaki

macrumors P6
May 16, 2015
15,750
11,103
Not being able to imagine other people’s viewpoint is a common thing here on and Reddit ;). But yeah, I personally wouldn’t pick it either. But you’re not “paying to watch adds”, you’re paying to watch content, with a lower price due to ads.
I’ve been poor before so I totally can see why those who are price conscious choose not to pay more for ad-free tier. I’m despised by those corporates despicable choice of introducing ad-supported tier so those people are paying more for worse.
 

mrochester

macrumors 601
Feb 8, 2009
4,643
2,557
I’ve been poor before so I totally can see why those who are price conscious choose not to pay more for ad-free tier. I’m despised by those corporates despicable choice of introducing ad-supported tier so those people are paying more for worse.
It’s the poor tax. You either pay more or get an inferior experience. Impacts the poor the most.
 

amaze1499

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2014
1,020
999
Hey Netflix, what's the actual offer here? You want me to watch your ads and ask me to pay for that? Really? AND use my user profile to sell it on? Smells like a rotten deal unless you pay your customers first.
 

contacos

macrumors 601
Nov 11, 2020
4,797
18,551
Mexico City living in Berlin
As a long term Netflix subscriber, I am about to cancel considering how they are treating their loyal paying customers.

I am currently on a Nordic road trip from Germany to Denmark, Sweden and Norway. I logged in to the TV at the Airbnb in Sweden and suddenly I get a message on MY iPhone, that I need to request a code to continue to use MY subscription on MY device yet no such thing is being asked on a strangers random tv???? What happens at the next hotel?

Doing something legally shouldn’t be a bigger inconvenience than streaming „elsewhere“.

F that!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Victor Mortimer

dancefreak

macrumors 6502
Jan 6, 2004
286
282
Hermosa Beach, CA
The numbers are kind of BS since TMobile gives Netflix with most plans and in January the comp version became the ads version of Netflix. TMobile has nearly 120 million total subscribers. Most people didn't have a desire to pay extra to have no ads. TMobile was paying a bulk rate per subscriber for Netflix and probably is paying next to nothing now since ad revenue is far more valuable than subscription fees to Netflix. This was all 100% a ploy to pad ad-tier numbers to appear more impressive to advertisers. I'd be very curious what the numbers are if you exclude TMobile.
 

eNJayBe

macrumors newbie
Jul 21, 2011
27
24
I received an email from Netflix to say good news, my monthly subscription price is going down. That’s because they are removing the tier I’m on and moving me to the with ads tier. I’m going to save myself even more by cancelling it altogether.

I’m in the pay money or watch adverts, but not both party.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.