Bell Media (BCE) plans to introduce a new advertising-supported tier to its Crave streaming service this summer.
Bell is following other streaming services such as Netflix (NFLX) and Disney+ (DIS) in adding advertisements as companies seek to broaden and diversify their revenue streams.
Consumers typically pay less per month for the ad-supported streaming tier, while prices rise for monthly plans that are free of advertisements.
Bell said that shows it plans to include in the ad tier include "Friends" and "The Big Bang Theory," as well as the Canadian comedy "Letterkenny."
Bell unveiled the new ad tier for Crave at an upfront presentation that is held annually for advertisers to drive enthusiasm for the coming television season.
Bell has not provided any information concerning its future pricing model for the Crave streaming service. A subscription to Crave currently costs $19.99 per month.
Netflix was the first streaming service to introduce an ad-supported tier last autumn. The company added an ad tier that costs $5.99 per month, which is $15 cheaper than its most expensive plan.
Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc., whose stock has declined nearly 10% in the last year to trade at $61.40 per share
