How to turn off Netflix’s new ads or commercials in between episodes

Netflix

• Netflix has been testing ads for its original TV shows
  and films that play in between episodes you are
  binge-watching.
• Many Netflix users have been annoyed and found the ads
  intrusive.
• There’s an easy way to turn them off.

Netflix has been testing promos — ads, commercials, whatever you
want to call them — for its original shows that play in between
episodes you are currently binge-watching.

While these ads are for Netflix’s own shows, and are more like a
preview at a movie theater than a commercial on TV, many
subscribers still have been annoyed by the intrusion on their
watching experience.

If you are one of those people, we have good news: there’s an
easy way to opt out of these ads — at least for now.

Here’s how you do it.

First, log into Netflix on your computer, phone, or tablet. Then
navigate to your “Account” page (on your computer, by clicking
the dropdown on the top right):

Business Insider / Nathan
McAlone

Once you are in your account page, scroll down to the link for
“test participation.” Here’s what that looks like:

Business Insider / Nathan
McAlone

Once you are in the “test participation” page, simply toggle the
button and click off. Here’s what the button looks like:

Business Insider / Nathan
McAlone

And there you have it, turning off ads on Netflix is as easy as
1-2-3.

In case you are interested to hear Netflix’s explanation for
introducing the ads in the first place, here’s the statement the
company gave on the subject:

At Netflix, we conduct hundreds of tests every year so we can
better understand what helps members more easily find something
great to watch. A couple of years ago, we introduced video
previews to the TV experience, because we saw that it
significantly cut the time members spend browsing and helped them
find something they would enjoy watching even faster. Since then,
we have been experimenting even more with video based on
personalized recommendations for shows and films on the service
or coming shortly, and continue to learn from our members.

In this particular case, we are testing whether surfacing
recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories
they will enjoy faster. It is important to note that a member is
able to skip a video preview at anytime if they are not
interested.