Netflix Shocks Fans With Dramatic Reversal on Line of Duty Ban—But There’s a Catch

Ever had that moment where you’re all geared up for a binge-watch—snack bowl in hand, feet up, ready for a night with Line of Duty—only to discover your subscription is the equivalent of sitting in coach when you really wanted first class? Yeah, Netflix just decided to play gatekeeper again, conjuring up a strict three-point policy that effectively slams the door shut for millions when it comes to certain shows and films . What’s a crime drama lover gotta do these days?

Between all the new ad-tier shenanigans, subscription price hikes, and fierce debates sweeping Reddit (and my group chats), Netflix seems eager to test our patience… or maybe just our willingness to upgrade. The kicker? Shows you’d expect to be available to everyone—like the aforementioned Line of Duty—have been stuck behind paywalls, leaving viewers confused and a tad betrayed . So now we’re left to ponder—is the golden era of universal streaming fading into the rearview, or are these headaches just the cost of doing entertainment business in 2024?

Ready for the details (and possibly, a good laugh or eye roll)? LEARN MORE.

Netflix have revealed details regarding a strict three-point policy related to a rule that sees millions of users blocked from watching certain shows and films.

This comes after users trying to watch the iconic BBC detective drama Line of Duty were met with an alert saying they were unable to watch the show due to the tier of their subscription.

Netflix have made several changes to their platform in the last few years, including a controversial update which saw some users threatening to cancel their subscription.

One of the most hated decisions made by the company, however, is to introduce ad-tier subscriptions and raise the price of a subscription without ads.

When initially added last week Line of Duty was one of the select number of shows and films unavailable to watch if you reside on the cheapest ad-tier of Netflix.

The show was added to Netflix but millions couldn’t watch (BBC)

The streamer has confirmed that they have since u-Turned on this decision, however, after a query made by the LADbible group.

A spokesperson for Netflix said: “I’m happy to say that Line of Duty is available on our ad tier now.

“Whilst we always aim to have a wide variety of titles across all our plans – a small number of TV shows and movies are unavailable on the Ads plan due to licensing agreements.”

This list includes shows such as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the American version of House of Cards.

In addition to this, other folks may wonder how these decisions are made and how the streamer decide to take things on and off their platform.

This comes with a number of titles, such as The Babadook and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy set to be taken off in a matter of days.

The Babadook is amongst several titles set to be taken off Netflix soon (Umbrella Entertainment)

The Netflix spokesperson also clarified the three-point policy by which titles become available or are sometimes removed, stating what is considered is:

– How popular it is in a region

– How much it costs to license

– If the rights to the title are still available

They continued to finally say: “We continue to add new titles to Netflix (across all our plans) for our members to enjoy – this link has some handy tips on ways to keep up with all the new and upcoming titles on Netflix.”

Despite fan complaints, Netflix remain the most popular streaming service in the world by a margin of roughly 100,000,000 users, with Amazon Prime in second place.

This summer is a huge one for the platform, with their biggest show ever Squid Game concluding its third season.

In addition to this Wednesday, Netflix’s biggest season of English-speaking TV, will release part one of its second season later this summer, on August 6.

Additional reporting by Brenna Cooper.