Neon NZ to introduce ads into streaming service in January 2024, hikes prices

Sky's streaming service Neon has announced it is to start playing ads while increasing prices from January 2024.

The price of Neon's monthly Standard Plan is to go up to $19.99 per month, an increase of $2 per month on the current rate.

The Annual Plan will also increase to $199.99 a year, an increase of $20.

The company has announced there will be no price change to the Basic Plan, which currently sits at $12.99 a month.

It has also revealed that from January 11, ads will be introduced across all of their Neon plans.

Ads will play before TV shows and movies and when content is paused in the Basic plan, with customers being told "you can expect to see a few minutes of ads per hour of content viewed".

For the higher cost Standard and Annual Plans, ads will  only show when customers pause what they're watching.

The company has pledged there will be no advertising within Kids' content on any Neon plan.

In a letter to subscribers, Neon justified the increase by saying it would allow them to "continue to bring you premium shows like House of the Dragon, True Detective, Yellowstone and the latest blockbuster movies whilst continuing to invest in compelling and quality content."

The company also warned the Neon app on some TVs may no longer work, saying: "Due to the changes being made, we're unable to support the Neon app on some TV models."