Will a completely free Netflix account be the next evolution of the streaming service? For now it has not been decided, but the company is evaluating it and already has in mind several areas of the world in which it would initially launch it. Europe and Asia are the main markets they are targeting for this, which, without a doubt, means good news for users.
Right now, the cheapest Netflix rate is the Standard with ads, which is priced at 5.49 euros per month. But what if we could access the platform without paying anything at all? Those could be big words! This new rate would rely solely on advertising as a way to pay, which we assume would mean there would be more ads than in the account we mentioned before.
It is an idea that has already been proven
Previously, until 2023, Netflix had offered its service completely free to users in Kenya. This was a pilot program to see if the concept could be successful. However, the platform decided that, once tested, it was not going to continue it, at least in that place. Now it is said that Netflix is already considering recovering the idea, but in a greater number of markets and in countries where the presence of the service is already much greater.
Specifically, the focus is on Europe and Asia, although possibly not all countries, at least not all immediately. The two names that come to the fore, for now, are Germany for Europe and Japan for Asia. There is talk about candidate countries in which television platforms with advertising have a strong presence. And that, of course, is also a definition that could be applied to Spain, although at the moment the name of our country has not appeared on the scene. But if Germany receives this Netflix completely free, it is most likely that it will also end up reaching Spain.
Netflix seeks to go one step further
The market continues to evolve and this is something that Netflix knows well. For this reason, the streaming service is surfing with the changes and the way in which the sector pivots so as not to remain stagnant and be able to continue its growth. The Standard rate with ads has been an important step forward, as has the change they implemented by not allowing users to continue sharing accounts. But, from what is mentioned, the advertising-supported account may not be growing too rapidly. In reality, the numbers indicate that it is behind other similar services where the ad-supported versions are doing much better.
Netflix could jump headlong into this new free version to make its service with real ads take the leap that has been expected for a long time. And maybe, if that happens, the Standard account with ads will eventually disappear, because it may end up not making as much sense as it does today. It wouldn’t be a bad development in terms of the availability of different Netflix offerings.
As the service comments, the Netflix Standard and Premium versions are in a good moment and do not seem to need any changes. Therefore, the weakest rival to improve would be the account with ads. Anyway, let’s not think of this plan as something short-term. Bloomberg mentions that it is not something that will be developed imminently and that, for now, it is only being evaluated internally as a possible solution for the future of the platform.
But it is obvious that this does not stop us from getting excited thinking about the day when, although with ads, we can watch Netflix content completely free of charge. It would be a critical moment for streaming and for the services that, today, triumph in this part of the market. Because if they now had to compete with Netflix, it is obvious that there would be a major change.
