Netflix is adding a cheaper subscription tier – with ads

Stranger Things season 4 — (Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix is launching a lower-priced, ad-supported subscription tier this November.

Appropriately titled Basic with Ads, the new tier will cost just $6.99 a month and be available in the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the UK, and the US. Ads will be 15 or 30 seconds in length, and will play before and during TV shows and films. This is similar to Hulu's Basic ad-supported plan, which sits at $9.99 a month.

Current plans and members will not be impacted by the addition of Netflix's new tier, but all subscribers of the $9.99 Basic plan will now be upgraded to a higher video quality of up to 720p/HD – which will also be applied to the new ad-supported tier. The price for the Premium tier still remains $15.49 a month.

The BBC reported earlier this year that the streaming platform had lost approximately 970,000 subscribers during its three-month quarter ending on June 30 – the biggest dip in Netflix history. The streamer has also made the news for canceling quite a few original shows this year, in addition to mass layoffs. A lower-cost tier may entice new subscribers and bring back users who canceled their subscriptions either due to cost or in protest of their favorite show getting the axe.

Netflix's Basic with Ads plan will launch in the United States on November 3 at 9 am PT.