Netflix drops most affordable ad-free tier in the US and the UK

[Shawn Knight]

What just happened? Netflix has dropped its "Basic" tier in the US and UK after doing so in Canada last month. Moving forward, new and returning subscribers will have to pay a minimum of $15.49 per month to watch Netflix without commercial interruption.

The streaming giant said customers that are already on the Basic plan can remain on it until they change plans or cancel their membership.

Netflix has performed several membership tweaks in recent memory. Back in October, the company introduced an entry-level Basic with Ads plan priced at $6.99. That plan was limited to 720p video quality and did not include access to Netflix's full catalog. Subscribers could expect up to five minutes of ads per hour of streaming, with most spots lasting 15 or 30 seconds.

In April, Netflix enhanced the plan and rebranded it as Standard with Ads but kept the same price point. Basic (the cheapest option without ads) was priced at $9.99 per month. Now that Basic is no more, the cheapest route to getting Netflix without ads will set you back $15.49 a month.

In addition to an ad-free experience, the Standard plan allows for simultaneous streaming on up to two devices in full HD. Subscribers can also download content for offline viewing on two supported devices, and have the option to add one extra member who does not live with you.

An extra member slot commands $7.99 per month, and is the company's answer to rampant password sharing. When Netflix cracked down on password sharing, it saw a huge jump in paying subscribers.

It is not surprising to see Netflix pushing its ad-supported plans. The streaming leader partnered with Microsoft in mid-2022 to help it deliver more affordable ad-based tiers.

Share value in Netflix seems unaffected by the change as of this writing, and is currently trading at $475.83 a share. That's up nearly 62 percent on the year, proof that Netflix is doing something right - at least, by investors.

Image credit: Popcorn by Amateur Hub, TV by John-Mark Smith

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99461-netflix-removes-basic-tier-us-uk.html

 

[3volv3d]

Once you have enough cows in the barn, milk them.

 

[VitalyT]

Once you have enough cows in the barn, milk them.

What do you call a cow that won't milk anymore? A burger.

 

[3volv3d]

What do you call a cow that won't milk anymore? A burger.

Yes in ancient times we killed the milking cows after 4 years because we didn't have the ability to cook veg or alternatives to meats, but what with us being an amazing race and so super smart we don't have to kill for food anymore. We do it because we are a sucker for an easy life.

And instead of Netflix putting out good stuff, they stream old stuff, and now charge almost a ridiculous price for what they have, cause its not great, its meh at most. They can milk it for as much as they like, but what with all these companies, like lionsgate, shudder, paramount, disney, etc etc yaaaawn, breaking off to charge their own sub fee through them and Amazon, people will realise this is the same BS that Sky pulled, charging grandma $50 for her $15 package, because you know, fleece those who are distracted with life to notice.

Piracy is just gonna make a comeback.

 

[RudyBob]

What's to watch? Retread plots, retread actors......As long as that's what is available I am sticking with free retreads. Hill Street Blues, Have Gun Will Travel, Green Acres, Father Knows Best and Justified. Y'all waiting for the new Snow White? The real suckers in all this are the people paying for ad creation from the Retread factory.

 

[oasked]

Oh FFS Netflix. This was our tier. As we don't want adverts, I think we might cancel once these changes go live.

 

[yRaz]

Yes in ancient times we killed the milking cows after 4 years because we didn't have the ability to cook veg or alternatives to meats, but what with us being an amazing race and so super smart we don't have to kill for food anymore. We do it because we are a sucker for an easy life.

Well I know who I'm not inviting to a BBQ. I'm going to propose a question. If we didn't farm cattle for it's food what do you think would happen to all of them? Are we going to just continue to pay billions of dollars are year to socialize cattle the same way we give assistance to people who don't want to work?

 

[dangh]

Once you have enough cows in the barn, milk them.

Netflix users are not cows and they cancel any time. If they do not cancel it means they are fine with higher prices and they getting back the dollars worth. There is some competition and alternatives, so that's not really difficult. I mean much more difficult is to find anything worth watching there.