Netflix launching tiered program early to compete with Disney

Netflix is launching their new tier program much earlier than anticipated. The streaming service will begin offering the tiers in November, as opposed to early next year as originally announced. This has been seen as a maneuver to beat Disney+ to the punch. Disney+ launches their tiered program in December.

Netflix was originally planning on making their updated tiers available at the start of 2023. However, their tiered program will now officially launch on November 1.

Official details of the tiers are not entirely solidified, but at least one will be supported by ads. According to Variety, a Netflix representative said, “We are still in the early days of deciding how to launch a lower-priced, ad-supported tier and no decisions have been made.”

Originally, Netflix stated, in part: “We’re updating our prices so that we can continue to offer more variety of TV shows and films…As always we offer a range of plans so that people can pick a price that works best for their budget.”

Comparing the tiered bundles is a bit difficult, as Disney+ will offer various bundles with Hulu and ESPN+, while Netflix will presumably not team with other services (although, again, this has yet to be confirmed). However, reports did put Netflix around $7-9 per month, compared to Disney+’s planned $7.99. Both would have approximately four minutes of ads per hour.

Netflix has said offers can be submitted as early as next week, with a cost per thousand viewers set at a “soft $65.” Variety reports the industry standard is less than three times that.

Netflix is launching plenty of original programming from November on, including miniseries The Watcher: Blood Origin, Addams Family-centric Wednesday and reality competition show The Mole.

How do you feel about Netflix rolling out a tiered program? Will you upgrade, downgrade or stay with your current tier?