(Toronto) Crave is making room for commercial breaks on its online listening service.
After years as an exclusively ad-free subscription platform, Bell Media announces that it plans to launch new Crave tiers this summer that include ads across programming.
Shows that will be offered in ad tiers include popular sitcoms Friends and The Big Bang Theory, Canadian comedy Letterkenny and some of its HBO shows.
Bell unveiled its plans as part of its lineup unveiling, an event held primarily for advertisers in hopes of stoking their excitement for the upcoming TV season and selling commercials in the process.
Crave representatives declined to elaborate on service levels. It’s unclear if they would be offered at a cheaper price for consumers or if the network plans to increase the cost of its existing Crave plans without ads. The Crave main plan is currently $19.99 per month.
Crave is the latest online listening platform looking to secure a slice of the lucrative advertising market in a market crowded with TV options and an economy pushing consumers to spend less on entertainment.
Netflix was the first major subscription listening service to test an ad tier last November, when it added a “basic with ads” plan that cost $5.99 per month, or $15 cheaper than its most expensive plan. The option included a smaller selection of movies and TV shows with occasional commercial breaks.
Other ad-supported streaming options are also available in the Canadian market, including the free video-on-demand platform Tubi and Pluto TV, which offers over 100 channels of free TV series, movies and sports.
Last week, CBC announced that it would expand its selection of ad-supported live broadcast channels beyond its flagship news service CBC Explore, with channels devoted to comedy and local news.
Crave’s rollout of commercial breaks will not affect its traditional pay-TV service offered by cable companies.
