The difference between Netflix’s cheaper ad tier and its premium plans isn’t just in price — it’s also the amount of titles available for you to watch.
That’s right. It might be hard to notice those missing titles with the flood of content that is available, but it’s a significant number. What’s on Netflix Editor in Chief Kasey Moore compiled a list and found 175 titles that are available on the ad-free tiers that aren’t found on the base plan.
There are several notable titles, including Netflix’s own Peaky Blinders, starring Oscar-nominated Cillian Murphy or kids favorite Minions: The Rise of Gru. Hatewatchers looking to view Spider-Man spinoff Morbius will also be denied.
The good news is Netflix is making more of these titles available over time. Moore crunched the numbers and found a decrease in the number of restricted titles, with the U.S. still seeing the largest gap.
Here’s what Moore had to say about this trend:
As the ad-supported tier of Netflix becomes increasingly important, we’re observing a decrease in the number of titles restricted from this tier. The US remains one of the regions with the most significant content gap; however, even there, the proportion of titles unavailable has decreased by 50% year-over-year, from 5.3% to 2.5%. In the United Kingdom, only 0.7% of the library is unavailable, with Universal Television being the primary holdout. While I don’t believe we’ll achieve a 1:1 library parity in the near future, we are certainly getting closer.
Netflix is likely motivated to get its ad-based tier as possible as it seeks to widen its base of users, which will in turn attract more advertisers. The company has already nudged people in this direction by raising prices for its more premium plans. Giving folks access to more content — or, at least, the same amount as the higher tiers — could also give them a reason to make the switch.
Kasey Moore, Editor in Chief of What’s on Netflix
That’s likely the case as more streaming services move to this model, with Disney+ already introducing an ad tier and Prime Video launching ads for everyone.
If you want to see if your favorite show or movie is restricted from the ad tier, check out Moore’s full list.