Yes, the Netflix Basic plan has been discontinued for new users in the U.S. and France, following similar actions earlier in the UK. & Canada. The company is planning to discontinue the Netflix Basic plan soon. The company has announced that they plan to completely discontinue the plan in more countries in the coming months. However, recent reports state that the plan is being stopped for existing users as well.
The Netflix Basic plan allows subscribers to stream videos without ads. The move was made last year to encourage users to switch to a cheaper, ad-supported plan or switch to a new plan altogether. But now, the platform is planning to get rid of the Netflix Basic plan altogether.
The online streaming users in the UK and Canada have reported receiving a message from the company saying "Last day to watch Netflix is July 31", followed by another message urging them to switch to a new plan if they want to continue using the streaming platform's services.
Why was Netflix's basic plan discontinued?
The discontinuation of the most basic plan by Netflix might not come as a surprise to many. The company had been hinting at this development for some time now. It has already been notifying the users that the move was bound to happen sooner than later.
Last year, the company discontinued its basic ad-free plan for new users, providing them with only three plans to choose from: the Basic standard plan with ads, the Standard plan without ads, and the Premium plan. However, the Basic plan was still available for users who had already subscribed to it.
The move by the company is made to remain competitive by being able to provide double streams and higher quality to it's users. USA Today reported that Greg Peters, co-CEO, recently stated,
“Essentially, we're providing them a better experience: two streams versus one. We've got higher definition. We got downloads. And, of course, all at a lower price. And for members who don't want that ads experience, they, of course, can choose our ad-free Standard or Premium plans,"
Having a wider audience subscribe to a plan with ads is expected to increase the company's profit margin. While the move may be beneficial for the company, the subscribers are not happy about the change.
What was the basic plan before? Subscription rates and perks explored
In the U.S., the company offers three basic streaming plans: Standard with Ads, Standard, and Premium, which range from $6.99 to $22.99 per month. These prices may vary as more users are added to the subscription plan. Only Standard and Premium subscribers can add additional members. Standard subscribers can add one additional member for $7.99 per month. Premium plan users can add 2 members for $7.99 each.
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Patrons have not taken the latest announcement well. This has not stopped the company from implementing the changed plans in the UK, US, France and Canada, and will eventually cancel the basic plan for the other parts of the World as well.
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