Netflix users furious after discovering extra cost to watch certain TV shows-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro

There are believed to be around 150 TV shows and films that aren’t available to Netflix subscribers with adverts (Picture: BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions)

Netflix viewers have raged at the streamer after learning subscribers on ad-supported plans are banned from watching certain TV shows and films.

Viewers in the US on ad-supported plans are unable to watch around 150 series and movies including House of Cards, Peaky Blinders, and Spy Kids: Mission Critical, according to website What’s On Netflix.

However, according to Netflix, which has been accused of being ‘greedy’, this is because of complex licensing agreements and restrictions.

Fans on Reddit fumed after trying to watch shows or films only to find a lock icon when they searched for them on the streaming platform.

They were then informed those shows could be watched if they paid for an ad-free subscription which costs £10.99 in the UK and $15.49 in the US.

Reddit account Witty_Zucchini raged: ‘I’ve been subscribing to Netflix for years. They not so subtly have pushed me from an ad free subscription to one with ads. Ok thats fine, I can live with it.

Baby Driver is one of the films not available to ad subscribers (Picture: Sony Pictures/ Wilson Webb)

‘But today I pulled it up and saw they had the latest Ghostbusters movie. Yeah I know these aren’t as good as the originals but there’s sentamentality involved. I open it up to watch only to be greeted with the message that I can’t watch this unless I switch to an-free subscription. What the heck?’

Agreeing, saeranluver wrote: ‘Everything is so money hungry I hate it.’

Lost_As_Alice also added: ‘I saw this message when I tried to watch Thanksgiving. I was wondering when that started too. Netflix is getting so greedy!’

However, others defended Netflix and explained the decision to charge more for certain TV shows and films was out of their hands.

Viewers in the US also need a more expensive subscription for Easy A (Picture: Adam Taylor/Olive Bridge/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Impossible_Box3898 said: ‘No. Netflix doesn’t own the rights, they just lease them. If the rights owner doesn’t want to allow it to be shown on an ads plan then they can’t do it.

‘Could be as simple as they already licensed it to someone else for the ads plan or it’s pending release on someone else for ads plan.

‘I don’t think it’s the case yet but I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t see shows in the future that can only be seen in an ads plan and not in an ads free one.’

On Netflix’s website, it says: ‘While the vast majority of TV shows and movies are available on an ad-supported plan, a small number are not due to licensing restrictions.

House Of Cards is also one of the shows affected by licensing ageements (Picture: Netflix/Kobal/Shutterstock)

‘These titles will appear with a lock icon when you search or browse Netflix.’

According to What’s On Netflix, viewers in the US on ad-supported plans are unable to watch films including Baby Driver, Easy A and Bad Boys.

Earlier this year, Netflix announced it had scrapped its basic £7.99 ad-free plan and instead was rolling out an ad-supported tier, which costs £4.99.

They also launched a massive crackdown on password sharing which resulted in an extra 13.1 million subscribers by the end of 2023.

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