NETFLIX: Netflix CEO Signals Support for Lower-Cost, Ad-Supported Plans

Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said at the conference that the business is "very open to delivering even lower costs with advertising, as a customer choice," after years of resisting requests for an ad-supported streaming tier. According to reports, the firm is currently investigating the possibility and "trying to find out over the next year or two."

Hastings agrees that providing an ad-supported tier would be a significant shift in the company's approach, stating that he's been "against the complexity of advertising and a huge admirer of the simplicity of subscription" in the past. Hastings now promotes the concept of an ad-supported tier as something that "makes a lot of sense" for "consumers who want a cheaper price and are tolerant of advertisements."