Netflix has reportedly told employees it plans to roll out an ad-supported tier by the end of this year, sooner than expected. Additionally, Netflix's plan for an extra fee to fight password-sharing would roll out around the same time.
In a note to employees, "Netflix executives said that they were aiming to introduce the ad tier in the final three months of the year," according to a
New York Times report on Tuesday. The memo "also said that they were planning to begin cracking down on password sharing among its subscriber base around the same time."
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings last month
said the company plans to launch a lower-priced subscription tier with ads and will continue offering ad-free options. Hastings didn't seem to think the ad-supported tier would roll out in 2022, saying it is something "we're trying to figure out over the next year or two."
"Those who follow Netflix know I've been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription," Hastings said at the time. "But as much as I'm a fan of that, I'm a bigger fan of consumer choice, and allowing consumers who would like to have a lower price and are advertising-tolerant get what they want makes a lot of sense."
As the NYT reported, the "recent note to staff signaled that the timeline has sped up. 'Yes, it's fast and ambitious and it will require some trade-offs,' the note said."
arstechnica.com
