You can finally watch ad-supported Netflix on your Apple TV

After months of waiting, Netflix subscribers can finally watch their ad-supported content on the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD streaming boxes. Before now, that tier didn't work thanks to an incompatibility with the tvOS version of the Netflix app. That meant that the only way to watch Netflix on the Apple TV was to pay for the tiers that didn't offer ads.

That has now finally changed after it was noticed by one Reddit user that a new Netflix app update has fixed things. The result is that those who have chosen to pay less and watch ads can now do so on their premium Apple streaming hardware.

2

The new update is version number 2.3.0 and if you have automatic app updates enabled you probably already have it installed without realizing it. The Apple TV doesn't do a good job of telling you when it has updated an app, unfortunately.

Netflix has since confirmed to TechCrunch that the update that's now available for the Apple TV is indeed there to fix this ad-tier issue, but there are still plenty of devices that are yet to get the update love. Those who stream their content on a Chromecast, Chromecast Ultra, PlayStation 3, or indeed via the Netflix app on Windows are still unable to do so if they subscribe to that ad-based tier.

That tier rolled out in November 2022 and costs $6.99 per month and is available in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. Each ad runs for a maximum of 30 seconds and there are around four to five minutes of ads every hour.

That isn't the only downside of that ad-paid tier, however. The plan only streams in 720p which isn't going to be enough for people with larger televisions. And only one person's device can stream at a time, meaning it's no good for people with families who sometimes stream on multiple devices around the home at any one time. Another negative is the lack of offline viewing which makes for problems if you want to catch up on Brooklyn 99 while you're in the air.

The ad-supported tier is cheap, though, and at a time when Netflix's other subscriptions keep getting more expensive that isn't something to be sniffed at. Increasing competition has also hurt Netflix in recent years, with streaming services seemingly launching every other month. Apple TV+, Paramount+, and Disney+ are just three that have arrived in the last few years and continue to go from strength to strength.