Netflix, the number one streaming service in the world, introduced an ad-supported tier to their subscription in 2022. Now, Antenna has revealed data which shows the percentage of new Netflix subscribers who opt for the ad-supported tier.

The tier, which they call “Basic With Ads,” is significantly cheaper than the base Netflix tier, costing $7.99 per month instead of $17.99. Netflix also has a Premium tier with 4K viewing and costs $24.99 per month. The new data shows that nearly half of all new Netflix subscribers choose the ad-supported tier instead of the standard price. This is a jump up compared to the last two years, with the number being 40% in 2024 and 20% in 2023. This shows an increase in interest for cheaper streaming services, and a possibly a return to some of the norms found in cable TV.

With so many streaming services being popular nowadays, keeping up with TV shows and movies can become expensive. There is enough content on one or two streaming services to last a long time, but if someone wants to keep up on all the latest TV series’, that requires multiple subscriptions. Because of this, more people are choosing the cheaper, ad-supported versions of these services. Most other streamers offer cheaper options with ads, and you can expect these tiers to become more and more popular as time goes on.