Australian streaming service Binge is getting ads on its entry-level streaming plan.
First brought to our attention by Media Week, the streaming service is getting advertising placements from March 30, modelled after Kayo and Foxtel Go’s services.
At the launch of its Basic tier, Binge will have a frequency cap on ads, with a maximum of four minutes of commercials appearing per hour per user. A Foxtel Media spokesperson told Gizmodo Australia that there will be a strict frequency capping that will mean customers will only see a particular ad once per hour (no repetition). Repetition is probably the most annoying part of watching ads.
But it’s not all bad news. HD streaming is also coming to the Basic streaming tier, while previously it was exclusive to the HD and Premium plans. Up until now, Binge still hasn’t introduced 4K streaming, an anomalous decision among streaming platforms when most competitors offer the option on more expensive plans, and with Kayo/Foxtel’s focus on it for sport.
Binge Basic will cost $10 per month, Standard $14 per month and Premium will set you back $18 per month. We’ve got a breakdown on Binge, and every other major Australian streamer, over here.
Binge isn’t the only streaming service dabbling in commercials.
The decision to bring ads to Binge comes four months after streaming giant Netflix introduced ads on a newly-created ‘Basic with Ads’ tier. The tier costs $6.99 per month and serves around four to five minutes of 15-30 second ads per hour, played before, during, and after a show.
Disney+ went live with an ad-supported plan in the U.S. last year, and plans to bring it international this year. Amazon Prime Video has no plans for an ad-supported plan in Australia (although the streamer does run promos for other Prime Video shows before playing some content).
Ads are set to run on the platform from March 30.
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