Netflix will eventually introduce a relatively cheap subscription with advertisements and that could be accompanied by not being able to download content. According to a developer, this is evident from the code of the app.
This download omission is only in effect for the Netflix subscription with ads, so state according to Steve Moser in the code. He states that this is not a very surprising element, because many other streaming services only work online and therefore only offer streams, without the possibility to download individual films or series. There are also competitors of Netflix that also simply offer such an option, such as Disney+.
According to Moser, the app’s code also suggests a “setting experience” for users who purchase the new Netflix ad subscription. Netflix would ask for a number of details so that the user is presented with ‘the most relevant advertisements’. It’s already clear that Netflix will at least get ads from Microsoft.
It is not yet known when this new subscription form of Netflix will be introduced. The company announced earlier this year during the publication of quarterly figures that it wants to sell a subscription with advertisements. The idea is that the associated lower prices will drive the number of customers of the streaming service. Moser states, without substantiating that, that Netflix will probably start the subscription with ads early next year. The New York Times reported rather that the subscription will be introduced at the end of this year.