The highly anticipated ad tier of Netflix may not come with an offline viewing option โ says a developer who spotted references to this setting in the Netflix iOS app.
While itโs still early to decide on anything, itโs reasonable that Netflix wonโt offer an offline viewing option for the ad-supported tier. Itโs not just challenging to serve ads in offline mode but also helps Netflix to push users to upgrade to a pricier plans.
Netflix Ad-Tier is Hard For Commuters
After disappointing Q1ย results, Netflix decided to be more brutal in getting its subscribers back. Few plans it announced in this pursuit are cracking down on password sharing and introducing an ad-tier plan with low cost.
As we wait to see how itโll be, a new finding from the developer Steve Moser revealed that โ Netflixโs ad-tier plan wouldnโt come with an offline viewing mode! He found references to this in the Netflix iPhone app as โDownloads available on all plans except Netflix with ads.โ
This seemed reasonable, as itโd be challenging for Netflix (or any other platform) to serve ads in offline mode โ which is the essence of this tier. Talking to TechCrunch, Netflix neither confirmed nor denied this setting;
โWe are still in the early days of deciding how to launch a lower priced, ad-supported option, and no decisions have been made. So this is all just speculation at this point.โ
The platformโs Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos, has already said in the past that the ad tier wonโt have all the Netflixโs catalog, but only some! Theyโre still in the process of negotiating deals with studios to be able to offer their shows and movies with ads.
Plus, restricting certain content and the features like offline viewing may let Netflix push users to upgrade to a better plan. This decision will put Netflix on par with Hulu and HBO Max, who also restricted the download button for their ad-tier plans.