Will adding advertisements to Netflix take away the members’ experience?
Netflix has been on the forefront of some of the most popular TV shows and movies with subscribers binging for hours at a time.
October 7, 2022
Netflix may be adding a cheaper service that includes advertisements in early 2023. However, many have been voicing their opinions and questioning why a staple streaming service is doing this without realizing the hard hits the company has taken over the past year.
While Netflix has been successful over the past few years with Netflix Originals such as “Stranger Things” and “Cobra Kai”, the reality is the company has been losing subscribers in huge numbers. In the first quarter of 2022 they had lost 200,000 subscribers, while in the second quarter they proceeded to lose 970,000 subscribers. It may seem like many subscribers were lost but the second quarter was originally predicted to have a loss of 2 million subscribers.
Elizabeth Moonier, a junior, said “I think cheaper, more affordable options with ads is a great idea. That way more people can buy Netflix. Ads only take up like 1-3 mins and if the full price version doesn’t have them. I don’t see a negative.”
The good news? Netflix predicted to gain 1 million subscribers in the third quarter. Still, this doesn’t make up for the unpredictable drops and rises in subscribers. With Netflix realizing the trouble they may have on their hands, they announced a new, cheaper service with advertisements.
Nevertheless, this news has left people torn on what to think. In a survey of 60 students, 65% said that they weren’t aware of the new service but were still quick to voice their opinions.
Freshman Maggie Sinnet said, “If Netflix added ads, I would cancel my membership. There should be no reason to add ads to Netflix. Even for a cheaper option, Netflix should not add them. Instead, limit shows for a cheaper membership.”
Although many are not fond of this new service, the company has said that they only plan for their more popular programs to have ads. Along with this, while regular TV typically has around 20 minutes of ads per hour, Netflix has said to be planning only around 4 minutes per hour. Despite the opinions from either side, the good and the bad, the next quarter for Netflix and their plans will be interesting to witness.
