March 24, 2025, 3:38 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Netflix’s advertising subscription promises entertainment at a low price. However, advertising is not the only thing that users have to put up with.
The various streaming services want to attract users with the most extensive and exclusive range of content possible. But users are expected to pay for this — the question is, how much? A continuing trend in the industry is a subscription with advertising. This option typically includes annoying commercials in exchange for access at the lowest price. However, with a Netflix advertising subscription, you must also forego access to numerous films and series.
Netflix Advertising Subscription Lacks a Lot of Content
Netflix is the world’s leading streaming service. It recently broke the 300 million user barrier, many of whom also use Netflix advertising subscriptions. This costs just EUR 4.99 per month. TECHBOOK has listed further details on this subscription level separately.
Since 2022, the company has also been offering its films and series with advertising. However, what has also applied since then, and what many customers may not even be aware of, is the associated limited selection. Many titles are not even available in this pricing tier.
This not only applies to purchased licensed titles but, curiously, also to several that are actually only available on Netflix because they run under the Originals tag. For example, subscribers to the ad-supported plan will miss out on the modern classic series House of Cards. However, the series is available in the other subscription tiers.
Why Many Films and Series Are Missing
At the time, Netflix explained to TECHBOOK that the absence was due to “license restrictions in the basic subscription plan with advertising.” However, the company expressed intentions to work on making these available. At that time, it was noted that over 1600 films and series were available only at higher subscription levels.
TECHBOOK wrote to Netflix again and wanted to know the current state of affairs. We also asked whether the long-term goal is to make 100 percent of all content available with an advertising subscription. However, the provider does not wish to comment on this further than the known information. As What’s on Netflix writes, 155 titles are currently unavailable in the USA alone. House of Cards is still affected, as are other highlights such as Peaky Blinders.
The situation in Germany is not clear. At WerStreamt.es, the list of content missing from Netflix’s advertising subscription in Germany is much smaller. However, titles such as Suits or Ash vs. Evil Dead are affected in any case. However, it is not possible to quickly verify how accurate this list is in detail. The reality is that even in Germany, the most affordable subscription offers the least content.