Netflix plans to add a new feature, but you're not going to like it
Change is coming to the Netflix app – just not necessarily for the better
Quick Summary
Netflix will introduce extra advertising measures next year as it seeks to capitalise on the growing number of viewers willing to see them.
Ads will be coming to vertical videos and podcasts, and it's not yet clear whether this is across all tiers or not.
Netflix is on a roll right now, with its multi-tiered subscription model seemingly paying off. It claims that it now has 250 million monthly active viewers on its cheapest, ad-supported plan. That's up by 60 million in just a matter of months, and shows that there are plenty out there willing to put up with adverts to keep the costs down.
According to Variety, Netflix will expand its ad-tier to 15 new countries next year, including Ireland, the Netherlands and other locations in Europe and South America. It will also roll it out in Thailand and New Zealand.
That's only to be expected, really. However, it also plans to bring adverts to its new vertical video feeds and podcasts, which will also start to appear in 2027. There's also no word on whether this will be for those on an ad-supported tier, or if it will also appear on that sort of content for subscribers on all of its plans.
Vertical video is a new addition by Netflix – which joins Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video in TikTok-ifying its service. However, the Netflix Clips are fairly innocuous at present and are simply snippets from shows on the platform.
They are effectively trailers, therefore.
Adding commercials doesn't seem to make much sense in that context – after all, they are adverts in themselves.
As for podcasts, that's a more natural fit. It's rare to see or hear a podcast or influencer feed without some form of sponsorship or advertising these days. The audience pretty much expects it.
Still, considering how much profit Netflix regularly posts anyway, and how dominant it is in the streaming market, it's a shame that it's not more concerned with viewer value than trying to eke extra pennies from its viewers. It's not exactly the cheapest service anyway.
