Netflix Is Testing Ads Before And After Videos

One of the nicest things about Netflix is that you can fire up any content you want and immediately start watching it, no advertisements anywhere to be seen. That has started changing recently for some users, however, and now Netflix has confirmed what many were suspecting: it is testing advertisements before and after videos. The advertisements are currently only for Netflix's own content and are only showing up for some users, but that could change in the future.

A quick look at Twitter shows that many Netflix subscribers have started seeing advertisements, and judging by the responses, many others who aren't seeing them won't be too happy if they do. Some are likening to move as one similar to Hulu, where advertisements are shown on top of paying for a monthly subscription fee.

Netflix confirmed that it is testing advertisements in a statement to Vice's Motherboard, saying the ads are being run both before and after a video, and there are no third-party advertisements live at this time. Rather, users are seeing ads for things like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards, sort of like the OITNB ad above. In addition, only some users in certain unspecified markets are seeing the ads.

Said a Netflix spokesperson, "As with any Netflix product test, this may never come to all our members." If such advertisements do become common place, it will be a reversal on Netflix's oft-stated stance regarding advertisements — namely, that they're not needed.

SOURCE: Motherboard