Ads are coming for Binge Basic subscribers in March

Foxtel has announced that Binge Basic subscribers will start seeing advertisements from the 30th of March 2023.

The announcement comes after streaming giant Netflix kicked off the trend in late 2022 with a cheaper, bespoke ad-supported plan. Binge Basic subscribers won’t have the same luxury of saving a few bucks for the sake of ads, however. Instead, every Basic subscriber will be upgraded from SD to HD 1080p even though Foxtel still refuses to offer 4K streaming on Binge.

It’s kind of like upgrading from economy to premium economy except the airline doesn’t offer business class.

The Binge Basic plan currently costs $10 per month and offers one simultaneous stream in Standard Definition.

Ads will automatically roll out to accounts on Binge Basic on the 30th of March; Binge Standard and Binge Premium subscribers won’t be impacted.

Foxtel claims that ads will be limited to one-per-hour “at launch” and only served to Binge Basic subscribers watching TV series. Given episodes of premium drama typically run between 40 and 60 minutes, Binge ads shouldn't cause too many interruptions.

If you’d prefer to avoid ads altogether on Binge, you’ll have two options after the 30th of March: cancel your Binge subscription or upgrade to Standard or Premium. Binge Standard offers two simultaneous HD streams and costs $18 per month after a price hike in 2022. Binge Premium offers four simultaneous HD streams and costs $22 per month.

Binge is the first Australian streaming service to follow Netflix’s lead by introducing ads. Here’s hoping more Australian services don’t join Netflix in its global crackdown on password-sharing too.

Thinking of breaking up with Binge? Take a look at the streaming service alternatives available in Australia.