Netflix this week quietly discontinued its basic plan for $11.99 a month, in place of three options to choose from a $6.99 ad-supported tier, a $15.49 ad-free tier without ads, or a $22.99 ad-free 4K premium plan.
Subscribers have reportedly begun receiving notices nearly exclusively in Canada and the UK to choose a different plan. The exercise follows an earlier notice in January by Netflix regarding the disappearance of the company’s basic tier for existing subscribers from the second quarter.
Last year, Netflix already stopped offering the basic plan to new or returning members in the US, Canada, and the UK, which until now remains the case. The service has declined, however, to comment on its plans regarding phasing out the basic plan among its US subscriber base.
The company referred to the statement it had made at the January earnings call, giving the signal for a strategic turn towards support of its ad-supported tier. The service counted over 40 million users by May, and Netflix is marching on to grow the adoption of ad-supported offers.
The streamer’s pricing pages for Canada and the UK now show that the basic plan is no longer available, thus giving some flexibility to subscribers looking to make changes to their subscription at any time.
It is just like the several moves that other streaming services are making, directing users in the droves toward ad-supported options as the dynamics in the market change.
Indeed, Netflix will be phasing out its existing customer base’s basic ad-free plans in light of the market trend that thrives on promoting ad-supported and premium offerings.
