Since Netflix first announced it would be offering a lower-priced AVOD tier, advertisers and kidcos alike have wondered what it would mean for younger-skewing content on the platform.

But as the launch of the new tier approaches, the streamer has confirmed to Kidscreen that it will not display ads in kids’ profiles, or in any content aimed at viewers ages 13 and under, even when it’s accessed from an adult’s profile.

On the new Basic With Ads tier, an average of four or five pre- and mid-roll ads (15 to 30 seconds each) will play per hour, and users won’t be able to download titles.

This subscription option launches on November 3 in the US for US$5.99 a month. It will also roll out in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain and the UK to start.

For advertisers, this creates an opportunity to target by country, genre and subject matter. For example, advertisers can prevent their ads from appearing on content that doesn’t match their brand, such as shows and movies with sexual content or graphic violence.

Netflix is working with two companies, DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science, to verify ad traffic starting in Q1 2023. The streamer also partnered with Nielsen yesterday to start providing ratings data for all its US shows; and earlier this week, it joined the UK ratings body BARB to share regional data.

Netflix is the second major SVOD platform, after Disney+, to unveil ad-tier plans as the battle among streamers to attract new subscribers heats up. But the question of whether the addition of ads will hurt their subscriber base is still an open one, with KidsKnowBest finding last month that 23% of Netflix subscribers in the US said they’d consider leaving the platform if ads were introduced.