Netflix launched its new ad-supported plan this week, but it doesn't yet work on Apple TV devices, including the new third-generation Apple TV 4K launching today.
Costing $6.99 per month in the United States, the new "Basic With Ads" plan is $3 cheaper than the standard Basic plan, but Apple TV owners looking to take advantage of the more affordable tier will have to wait.
"Basic with ads plan support on tvOS is not available at launch but coming soon," Netflix told Variety. A Netflix support page, spotted by 9to5Mac, notes that you can only watch Netflix on Apple TV if you are subscribed to the Basic, Standard, or Premium plans.
Netflix didn't explain why the Basic With Ads plan doesn't work on Apple TV, despite it being available on Amazon Fire TV devices, Android, Chromecast with Google TV, game consoles, iOS devices, and numerous smart TVs. It could have something to do with the fact that Netflix accelerated the timeline for the plan's launch from early 2023 to early November in order to get out ahead of the Disney+ ad tier coming next month, but we don't know for sure.
Netflix's ad-supported plan first rolled out in Canada and Mexico on November 1, and launched in the U.S. on November 3. The more affordable tier is also live in the U.K., Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Spain.
Aside from including ads, the Basic With Ads plan limits video streaming resolution to a maximum of 720p, and some movies and TV shows are not available because of licensing restrictions (they're marked with a red padlock in the Netflix interface). Unlike with the plans without ads, the ad-based tier does not support downloading movies and TV shows for offline viewing either.
