Netflix has started to ask basic plan customers to pick another plan to continue using the service without interruption. The streaming company has been at war with the Basic plan for some time.
Basic, which is Netflix's cheapest ad-free plan, has not been available for selection during sign-up for some time. Now it appears that Netflix is going to discontinue the plan altogether.
The decision affects current Netflix customers who are subscribed to the basic plan. Basic, available for $9.99 in the United States and in a selection of other countries, streams content in HD quality and download content to one device.
Netflix did increase the price of Basic in October 2023 for the last time.
Netflix is asking customers to "choose a new plan to keep watching". The company explains that it values its customers, but that it is taking away the basic plan regardless of that.
The choice
Customers have two main choices:
- Switch to a different plan on Netflix.
- Do nothing and have the membership cancelled automatically.
The plans:
| Basic | Standard with Ads | Standard | Premium | |
| Price | $9.99 | $5.99 | $16.99 | $22.99 |
| Resolution | 720p | 1080p | 1080p | 4K HDR |
| 3D Audio | No | No | No | Yes |
| Stream on | 1 device | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Download to | 1 device | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Extra Members | No | No | 1 | 2 |
Netflix has three plans that customers may choose from. These are:
- Standard with ads -- available for $5.99, includes advertisement, Full HD video, watch and download on up to 2 devices. "A few" movies and TV shows are not available. Was previously known as Basic with Ads.
- Standard -- available for $16.49, Full HD video, watch and download on up to 2 devices. Option to add 1 extra member.
- Premium -- available for $22.99, Ultra HD video, watch and download on up to 4 devices. Option to add 2 extra members. Netflix spatial audio support.
Customers who do not switch to another plan before the end of the subscription period will have their memberships cancelled. The last billing period for this first batch of users is June 1, 2024. This means that the membership will be cancelled on July 1, 2024, if they do not switch to another plan.
Closing Words
Netflix has not revealed the number of affected customers. Clearly, the company is hoping that the majority of customers will switch to another plan. All of these are more lucrative than the basic plan, according to Netflix. The company said that its ad-supported plan had reached 23 million members as of January 2024.
For customers who want to keep on accessing Netflix content, it means having to pay more to stay ad-free, or paying less, but get the viewing experience interrupted by advertisement.
What about you? Are you subscribed to any of the streaming services?
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