Netflix has been reeling after seeing its shares lose a quarter of their value after seeing the ranks of its subscribers thin in the first quarter of 2022. Now the company is considering new ways to make up for this, including by crossing a major line with subscribers by suggesting it may add commercials.

On a Wednesday earnings call, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the idea of adding commercials as part of a cheaper subscription tier is not out of the question. Hastings pointed to competitors like Disney+ and Hulu that included commercials as inspiration, but he acknowledged it would be a significant change to follow through with.

“Those who have followed Netflix know that I have been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription,” Hastings said on the call.

“But as much as I am a fan of that, I am a bigger fan of consumer choice, and allowing consumers who would like to have a lower price and are advertising-tolerant to get what they want makes a lot of sense,” he added.

But if Hastings was hoping for understanding or sympathy from longtime Netflix subscribers, the response on social media has been the opposite.

“Put commercials in your programs, and I am out," one Twitter user wrote in response to an unrelated Netflix tweet.

Another added: "Increased the price and added commercials? Netflix really doesn’t want me as a customer."

"Netflix is literally doing everything wrong … increasing prices and now commercials," another lamented.

For years, Netflix has been able to win over subscribers at least in part because it did not carry commercials. This has helped set it apart from cable networks, which are themselves now looking to offer streaming services to better compete with Netflix and others like Disney.

Reasons for its declining stock price take many forms. For one, Netflix began to take a hit when more people began returning to work or school as the COVID-19 lockdowns receded. The company also blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine as well as rampant password sharing for cutting into its numbers.

But more than anything, Netflix may be a victim of its own success. Its popularity spurred more networks to launch streaming services that have increased competition for content. Several users were quick to point this out when bemoaning talk of adding commercials.

“Here’s an idea…create better content,” said a Twitter user, who called Netflix the “largest shallow pool.”

"HBO Max and Disney+ have much better content. The market caught up to Netflix and they don't know how to act," another user wrote.

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