Serial video streamers can relax. It seems that annoying advertisements won't be coming to Netflix anytime soon.
CEO Reed Hastings and other Netflix executives have confirmed that they have no plans to introduce third-party ads on the platform after fears spread on the Internet earlier in the week.
The rumors started after a report on Cord Cutters News noted a number of users started seeing ads for other Netflix shows before and after the video they were watching. Netflix later confirmed it was testing the ads, which led to widespread speculation among the tech media and across social media that the company might be considering introducing third-party ads and a new revenue stream.
Even though third-party advertising was never seen by any users or mentioned, such was the furor over the issue that CEO Reed Hastings had to take to Facebook to deny the rumors. "No advertising coming onto Netflix. Period. Just adding relevant cool trailers for other Netflix content you are likely to love," he said on his Facebook account.
Netflix also issued the following official statement: "We are not planning to test or implement advertising on the Netflix service. For some time, we've teased Netflix originals with short trailers after a member finishes watching a show. Some members in a limited test now are seeing teases before a show begins. We test hundreds of potential improvements to the service every year. Many never extend beyond that."
This statement would suggest that even these teaser advertisements might not be rolled out to all users. However, Hasting's post doesn't make any reference to "testing," which would seem to suggest that all Netflix viewers should expect to see these trailers in the near future. Other subscription services like HBO run similar ads between shows and even famously ad-free TV channels like the BBC run promotions for their own programming between shows, so this move from Netflix is unlikely to alienate too many users.
