Little-known Netflix rule blocks millions from watching some of its best TV shows and films

There is a little known rule which means Netflix users who subscribe to the cheaper 'Standard with ads plan' miss out on being able to watch certain films and TV shows.

Long-term users of Netflix will know the hordes of changes which have been rolled out across the past couple of years, including a crackdown on password-sharing, numerous price increases, the removal of its popular 'Basic Plan' and a homepage re-design, which left people threatening to cancel their subscriptions.

But hey, what can you do when the main way to watch TV is through the use of streaming platforms.

However, it would appear there is another, lesser-known change which impacts users of the cheapest tier – which means you are blocked from watching some of the biggest shows on the platform.

The streaming site has made some controversial changes in the past couple of years (Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Why does Netflix have 'locked' content on its Standard with ads plan?

Earlier today while browsing the latest additions to UK Netflix,, I noticed that all six seasons of hugely popular BBC crime series Line of Duty had been added to the streamer.

Which will certainly be music to the ears of Vicky McClure, Stephen Graham or chuckling at the line 'bent coppers', while reliving the drama all over again.

However, as a user of the Standard with ads plan, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the series was unavailable - locked away behind a £7 price increase.

Turns out that Line of Duty isn't the only series locked away for subscribers looking to save some pennies every month, with popular shows such as House of Cards and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia currently unavailable.

Recent additions such as Line of Duty are not available on the ads-supported plan (Netflix)

The little-known change has been noticed by numerous subscribers, with several Reddit threads over the past couple of months revealing the shocked reactions from users.

"This has never happened to me but I swear the first time it does, I will cancel my subscription," wrote on person, while a second added: "Why is it only Netflix that does thus? We have multiple other streaming services with ads and have full access to the entire library."

"The advert tier never had all the shows and movies just most of them. But the ones you couldn’t access just weren’t able to be seen, not listed. Seems now they want you to see the shows now to push you to pay more," claimed a third.

So, why are certain shows locked for users of the cheapest subscription? Is it part of a wider Black Mirror-esque conspiracy or something much more straightforward?

Why Netflix restricts certain contain on the Standard with ads plan

According to the streamer, the decision to restrict certain content to users on the Standard with ads plan is all down to licensing issues.

As well as classics such as House of Cards (Netflix)

"While the vast majority of TV shows and movies are available with an ad-supported experience, a small number are not due to licensing restrictions," Netflix explained on their website.

"These titles will appear with a lock icon when you search or browse Netflix."

LADbible Group has approached Netflix for further comment.