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Otter on 24 July 2026
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curl-6 said:
Otter said:

I'm aware of Xbox tests but this is exactly as I said, free tiers & subsidised tiers well below the regular asking price.

Some services are initially offered below a break even price in order to grow the market. Spotify for example only made it's first profit in 2024 after like 20 years.

For me, ad subsidised tiers isn't an inherent issue and actually more options & entry points are generally better. I get the apprehension though... 

But do people prefer flat out price rises without any lower cost entry options? I think it has to be dissected on a case by case basis & whether you're happy paying the price you're paying for a service/good. Just as with the $70-80 price rises we've seen on games like Mario Kart & GTA. I personally refuse to pay that.

A free tier with ads on its own isn't the worst thing, but we've seen in other cases like Amazon and Netflix how these ads can creep into paid services. Like the horse armor in Oblivion, the first step towards a hellscape often seems innocuous on its own, what people are wary of is that companies almost always start making such things worse and worse over time. 

Put a frog in hot water and it jumps right out, put a frog in cold water and heat it up gradually, etc.

It's the last I'll say on the topic but there are ad free tiers on Netflix/Amazon, it's just a case of whether you agree with their pricing. 

All services are gradually having price increases, even before the ad-supported tiers come into play, some small part is inflation & costs and the rest is monetisation. So that is the primary point of friction imo (increasingly upping prices) and the center point of monetising the audience (again looking at $80 Mario Kart & GTA).

Last edited by Otter - on 24 July 2026