Sky Stream and Sky Glass customers will soon see more adverts during their favourite boxsets and films.
The extra ad breaks are the result of a shake-up in the Netflix subscriptions bundled with Sky TV packages. Although Netflix canned its ad-free Basic tier, which cost £7.99 per month, earlier this year, Sky was allowed to continue to sign up new customers to the defunct plan.
But that all changed on December 12, when Sky started to offer Netflix’s Standard with Ads subscription to all new customers.
Starting now, new customers who sign up for Sky Glass, Sky Stream or Sky Q will see adverts before and during TV shows, documentaries, and movies on Netflix. Newly released films only have adverts before the start, with the number of ads counting down in the upper-right corner of the screen.
If you already have a subscription to Sky TV, nothing will change ...yet.
When your Sky TV contract is renewed – or if you decide to upgrade or downgrade the selection of channels included in your package – you’ll be switched over to Netflix’s Standard with Ads plan.
Netflix's Standard with Ads plan offers improved picture quality as well as the ability to stream on two devices simultaneously – something that wasn't possible with Netflix Basic
NETFLIX PRESS OFFICE
But it’s not all bad news. While the shake-up does mean you’ll see more adverts during your favourite boxset binge or blockbuster movie, the Standard with Ads plan does offer improved picture quality over the Basic plan.
While Netflix Basic subscribers, including those watching as part of their Sky TV package, were limited to 720p, Netflix Standard with Ads offers full High Definition (HD) streaming at 1080p. You can also watch and download shows and films on up to two devices at a time.
Netflix Basic limits streaming to a single screen, while Standard with Ads doubles that to two.
Your Netflix subscription is included as part of your Ultimate TV bundle from Sky, which starts from £26 per month and includes 100 live channels unavailable on Freeview, including the likes of Sky Atlantic, Sky Comedy, MTV, Comedy Central, and Sky Sports News, as well as on-demand boxsets from Sky Originals and HBO, and shows from discovery+.
But you can still watch on any of Netflix’s wide selection of apps – just as you would if you had a standalone subscription – to take the boxsets and movies on-the-go with you.
If you want to upgrade to another plan, Sky charges £6 a month to bump-up your subscription to Netflix Standard (no adverts) and £11 a month for Netflix Premium (4K Ultra HD, no adverts, spatial audio, watch on 6 devices simultaneously).
If you want to avoid the password-sharing crackdown enforced by Netflix on Sky Glass and Sky Stream, you’ll need to pay more each month.
That’s because Netflix doesn’t offer the ability to add an “extra member” (someone who lives elsewhere but wants to login to the same Netflix account) with its Standard with Ads plan. It’s only available with Standard and Premium subscriptions and costs £4.99 per month for each additional person.
Here’s how the current Netflix subscriptions break down...
Adverts? Yes, before and during shows and films
Full Netflix Library? No, some titles missing
Picture Quality? 1080p HD
Games? Yes, all mobile games included
Watch On Multiple Devices? Yes, up to two
Downloads? Yes, on up to two devices
Adverts? No, never
Full Netflix Library? Yes
Picture Quality? 1080p HD
Games? Yes, all mobile games included
Watch On Multiple Devices? Yes, up to two
Downloads? Yes, on up to two devices
Additional Members? Yes, up to one
Adverts? No, never
Full Netflix Library? Yes
Picture Quality? 4K Ultra HD with Spatial Audio
Games? Yes, all mobile games included
Watch On Multiple Devices? Yes, up to four
Downloads? Yes, on up to six devices
Additional Members? Yes, up to two
Virgin Media also includes Netflix with its TV bundles, but it stopped offering Netflix Basic when that subscription tier was dropped for new customers back in July. EE TV, which recently rolled out a new app for Apple TV 4K and a sleek new set-top box, is still offering Netflix Basic to new customers. Based on the recent shift from Sky TV, that offer could be living on borrowed time.
