In addition to the fact that your programming will be interrupted by commercials, Netflix's upcoming ad-supported tier could have a big drawback. In this low-tier tier of the streaming service, offline viewing may not be available to members.

The discovery was made by developer Steve Moser, who found code within the Netflix iPhone app suggesting the streamer would block users from downloading titles.As stated in the code, "Downloads are available on all plans except Netflix with ads." The code also indicated that users could not skip commercials and would have to personalize their ads.

The news was first reported by Bloomberg, which cited Moser's findings, which were also published on Moser's blog. Netflix declined to comment specifically on the download feature, but suggested it might be included.

It's still early days in the development of a lower-priced, ad-supported option, and no decisions have been made yet. As of now, this is just speculation," a Netflix spokesperson said.Netflix is still working on the ad-supported tier and plans to launch it in early 2023, but this finding may be an indication of what subscribers can expect. The removal of the download option on the ad-supported service may discourage some subscribers from switching - which may be the intention at least partially. It is likely that frequent travelers, for instance, would be forced to pay more for their plans if they did not have access to this feature.

It would not be the only company to make this choice. The same can be said of HBO Max, Peacock, and other ad-supported streaming services. It is only possible to view offline content if you are a premium subscriber.

It can be difficult to make advertising attribution work properly on offline content. As an example, Hulu launched its offline viewing service years after its competitors. The feature wasn't added until 2019 - after Netflix and Amazon had already implemented it. It's likely that ad attribution issues needed additional engineering resources, even though the company didn't officially explain the delay. It still doesn't allow downloads on its ad-supported tier.

In a world where lack of connectivity has become less of an issue, Hulu might have also hesitated about adding such a feature.In addition, Netflix is partnering with a third party - Microsoft - to power its ad-supported plan, which makes matters more complicated.

The extent to which it can or cannot offer offline viewing may be beyond its control.The new low-cost tier may not be the only drawback. In addition, certain TV series and films will not be available in the ad-supported version.