Like many of us, I find myself subscribed to a small army of streaming services. For me, that lineup includes Netflix, Disney+" and Prime Video (a perk of my Amazon Prime membership). While each individual fee feels manageable, the cumulative cost of maintaining these subscriptions starts to add up significantly over the course of a year.
Streaming originally billed itself as an affordable, convenient alternative to the bloated cost of cable, but that affordability has steadily eroded. To counter rising prices and subscription fatigue, services are now pivoting back to basics by offering ad-supported plans for those of us wrestling with the modern cost of living.
These plans slash your monthly bill in exchange for a few commercial interruptions during your favorite shows. While I was initially resistant to the lure, a cold, hard look at my monthly bank statement convinced me it was time to take the plunge.
How much am I saving each year?
Before making the switch, I was shelling out $19.99/month for Netflix and $15.99/month for Disney+. After downsizing to the ad-supported tiers, I’m paying $8.99/month for Netflix and $11.99/month for Disney+. That’s an instant monthly saving of $11 and $4 respectively, a total of $15 a month back in my pocket.
While those figures might not sound earth-shattering to some, for many, this is a not-insignificant amount. In an era of squeezed wages and rising inflation, sitting through a couple of ads per show has become a much more palatable prospect.
How annoying has the switch to ads been?
While I was happy to trade my time for money, I wasn't entirely sure how the user experience would play out. To be honest, it’s been a mixed bag of both the good and the bad.
Across both services, the ads generally cannot be skipped or fast-forwarded. However, I don’t actually mind this lack of choice; it’s a built-in excuse to check my phone or grab a snack. So far, the frequency and length haven't felt overwhelming, though I appear to be seeing fewer ads than others have reported. Even at the extreme end—with reports of four minutes of ads in a 30-minute show—the experience remains manageable, if not exactly ideal.
Here is how the specific experiences break down:
Disney+
I typically see two sets of ads per 30-minute show: a pre-roll before the program starts and a mid-roll halfway through. So far, every single ad has been an internal promotion for other Disney+ content. The service is pushing "This Is Us" relentlessly with one of the most morose and depressing trailers I have ever seen; rather than enticing me, it has made me vow to never watch it. The other mainstay is an ad for the "The Mandalorian and Grogu" movie. These keep popping up as I've been revisiting the original "Scrubs" (after catching up on the reboot), but since neither has any connection to a medical sitcom, it suggests the ad algorithm is either poorly optimized or non-existent.
Netflix
Curiously, I’m seeing just one mid-roll ad per episode. This doesn’t quite match the reports of multiple breaks from other users; perhaps Netflix is easing me in gently, or perhaps the experience differs where I am (the U.K.). Regardless, the ads aren't bothering me in the slightest. There are also static ads that appear when you pause a show, but these are completely unobtrusive. My only real gripe is the placement. Dspite Netflix claiming they aim for "natural breaks," the interruptions often feel jarring and poorly timed.
Am I sticking with the ad-supported plans?
Ultimately, I’m happy I made the switch. Yes, some aspects of these plans are annoying, and it certainly feels like a retreat toward the bad old days of cable TV. However, for the money saved, I consider the occasional commercial to be a price worth paying.
Disney+ would certainly benefit from a wider variety of ads; I am officially sick of seeing the same two on repeat for months. Similarly, Netflix needs to work on the timing of commercial interruptions. However, neither of these frustrations is enough to make me reverse course and forfeit those sweet savings of $180 a year.
