The next time you engage in some weekend binge-watching, you might see Netflix ads between each show.
According to Cord Cutter News, the movie streaming giant is starting to show some subscribers in the U.K. trailers or commercials for other programs on Netflix whenever a show ends.
Netflix says it wants to test to see if showing Netflix ads between movies show episodes could help subscribers discover different shows to watch based on their viewing habits.
“At Netflix, we conduct hundreds of tests every year so we can better understand what helps members more easily find something great to watch,” a spokesperson said to Cord Cutter News in a statement. “In this particular case, we are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster. It is important to note that a member is able to skip a video preview at anytime if they are not interested,” Netflix added.
Although the company says it is testing Netflix ads with some of its subscribers to see if it could help them find new shows to watch, concerned Netflix viewers took to Twitter and Reddit to share their frustrations about Netflix ads appearing between movies or TV show episodes. On the Netflix Reddit page, the company disabled any new comments on the page about the issue since releasing the statement about it but it didn’t stop users from expressing their concerns about Netflix ads appearing during their binge-watching sessions.
Twitter reacts to Netflix ads appearing between shows
I Ishut my cable off because they were giving me 200 channels of which I only watched 10. I turned to Hulu and Netflix for relief from the barrage of commercials and now here we go again with Netflix. Don’t you know that you too can be replaced just like cable was Netflix?
— Vertalysia Medina (@Vertaalysia) August 20, 2018
Hey @netflix , we pay a subscription so we don’t have to see ads for shit.
We.
Don’t.
Want.
This.You have a lot of market share right now. You do this, and you will quickly learn that we users don’t have brand loyalty when a competitor without commercials pops up.
— Jason Folkers (@hypothetical6) August 17, 2018
Yeah @netflix I’m really not paying for commercials. I’ll drop your service like a hot potato if this goes live, TRUST.
— sai is silently judging you (@saibellanyc) August 18, 2018
‼️‼️‼️‼️To my pals who use Netflix:
They’re trying introducing ads (commercials for other Netflix shows) between episodes, and will likely keep them if users interact with them.
If you disagree with this, go https://t.co/OQqFsZLTrT to opt out.
— Drea ?? (@DreaTheRobot) August 18, 2018
netflix has started putting ads for its shitty standup specials in between episodes of frasier. and probably other shows but ive got frasier on and it feels particularly offensive. keep frasier pure
— libby watson (@libbycwatson) August 17, 2018
I hope it’s not true that @netflix is introducing ads into its programming. I literally pay money to Netflix so that I don’t have to see ads. I’d rather stop watching Netflix than have them run ads. Swear to god the first one I see I’m cancelling.
— InformationAnemone (@Info_Anemone) August 17, 2018
Subscribers in the U.K. first said the Netflix ads were unskippable, but according to Netflix, subscribers can choose to skip over an ad if one appears between shows. It’s unclear if Netflix changed it to allow users to skip over the ads, but some Netflix subscribers are upset that they are seeing commercials while using the service.
Netflix ads and commercials: What we know so far
It appears that many people were under the impression that the Netflix ads that appear between shows are unskippable and subscribers would be forced to watch them, but after Netflix released the statement, it seems that users would have the option to skip over the ads if they choose not to see them.
As for now, it seems that Netflix is only testing commercials for subscribers in the U.K. The company has not released any information about whether the ads will come to its U.S. subscribers, but based on the response from its subscribers from across the pond, it seems like adding ads between shows to suggest what to watch could disrupt a large amount of subscribers in the U.S.
