Entertainment

Netflix officially debuts cheaper subscription with ads

Rolling out in select countries first

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A cheaper Netflix plan is finally here. After months of teasing the new tier, Netflix has officially announced its first rollout of the cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier for users. Starting now, users in select countries can opt for the new tier.

As of late, the streaming platform has hit a speedbump in its quest for prolonged success in the streaming world. Fearing a drought of titles and rising prices, users have fled to other platforms, even resorting to pirating content again. In response, Netflix has tried a variety of strategies to rekindle interest for lapsing fans including a foray into gaming and enforcing new rules against account sharing. Similarly, the company also played around with (and essentially confirmed) a cheaper subscription tier supported by ads.

Today, Netflix has announced the new Basic with Ads tier. Floating around a price tag of US$ 6.99, the tier will come first to users in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The tier will launch on November 3.

As it says on the tin, users can expect around four 15- to 30-second ads every hour of viewing. Additionally, they won’t have access to offline downloading. Video quality will also stop at 720p resolution.

Price will likely vary depending on the country, too. For the current slate of countries, Netflix’s prices have already ballooned to prices greater than what users are willing to part with. If it’s any precedent, other platforms are also considering (or have introduced) ad-supported tiers such as Hulu and Disney+.

SEE ALSO: Netflix is adding gamertags for gaming platform

Entertainment

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc streams on Crunchyroll this Spring

Denji meets Reze in MAPPA’s first feature film

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Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc

Denji’s next brutal chapter is heading to streaming. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, the first-ever feature-length film from MAPPA’s hit anime series, arrives exclusively on Crunchyroll in Spring 2026.

Based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s globally acclaimed manga, the film continues the story after the anime’s first season. Amid a brutal war between devils and hunters, another battle begins in Denji’s heart when he meets a mysterious girl named Reze.

As secret enemies surface and loyalties blur, Denji revs up for what may be his deadliest fight yet — one that forces him to confront not just devils, but his own fragile humanity.

Details:

  • Title: Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
  • Where: Streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll
  • When: Spring 2026

From the review

In our full review, we described Reze Arc as “beautifully cruel,” calling it “a complete, well-balanced story” that blends romance, tension, and explosive action with deliberate pacing.

We praised MAPPA’s elevated big-screen presentation, the film’s restrained yet intimate early moments between Denji and Reze, and its bombastic, fluid fight sequences that never overstay their welcome.

At its heart, we noted, the movie works because it tells a self-contained love story wrapped in gore — one that even anime-only viewers can appreciate without feeling shortchanged.

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Entertainment

Bad Bunny sounds off ahead of Apple Music Super Bowl LX

Apple Music Super Bowl LX halftime show press conference

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Bad Bunny is stepping into Super Bowl LX with momentum and conviction. At the official Apple Music Halftime Show press conference, the Puerto Rican superstar previewed what fans can expect from his performance at Levi’s Stadium on February 8.

“I just want people to have fun. It’s gonna be a huge party. I want to bring that to the stage, a lot of my culture,” he said, adding that audiences don’t need to learn Spanish to enjoy the show. “There’s no better dance than the one that comes from the heart.”

Bad Bunny will perform at the half of the tiff between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. He confirmed that he will be with special guests.

But for the Grammy award winner for his album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, the real presence will be his family, friends, and the Latino community worldwide.

“Everyone who’s stopped me on the street, they only wish good things on me. I know the world is gonna be happy this Sunday,” he emphasized.

As for how he’s feeling heading into the performance, he admitted the whirlwind of touring, Grammys, and rehearsals has been overwhelming.

“There’s a lot of gratitude. I’m excited about this performance, but I’m more excited about the people—my family, my friends, the culture. That’s what’s making this show so special.”

Sports, he added, have always been part of his life. “I grew up watching sports, playing sports very bad, but I do love sports. It’s one of my favorite combinations—sports and music.”

Interestingly, it’s sort of a full circle moment for him at the Super Bowl. In 2020, he shared the stage with Shakira, and five years later, he is headlining his own halftime show.

“It’s not like I said, ‘I wanna come back here by myself.’ I’m never looking for my biggest achievement. My biggest pleasure is to just create, have fun, and connect with people.”

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Entertainment

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 premieres in April

The animated series is set between seasons two and three.

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Stranger Things is over. After years of success, the long-running series finally reached its definitive conclusion. But if you thought Netflix would easily let its biggest cash cow go, then you’d be mistaken. Barely a month after the final episode, the franchise is back with an animated spinoff called Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.

The animated series, which oddly features a new cast to voice the characters, is not a continuation of the concluded story. Rather, it’s a midquel set during the winter between the second and third seasons. Despite closing off a gate to the Upside Down, Eleven and the gang discover that some monsters are still lurking around in their world.

Because we already know what happens up until the very end, there’s hardly any tension. That said, and based on the show’s subtitle, the animated series might be a creature-of-the-week adventure. However, Eric Robles, who will run the series, says that saving Hawkins is still a major plot point.

The Duffer Brothers, who will be executive producers, says that it was a challenge to feature monsters after the events of the main show’s second season. The show will still have a substantial story, though.

For now, we’ll have a bit of a reprieve from everything Stranger Things (or time to catch up with everything, if you prefer). Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will premiere on April 23.

SEE ALSO: BTS returns with global live comeback event on Netflix this March

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