Netflix just got a bit less affordable

The streamer quietly removed its $9.99 Basic ad-free plan for all new users

By Emma Keates  |  July 19, 2023 | 5:23pm
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Netflix just got a bit less affordable
Netflix Photo: Mario Tama

Only a few months after booting adult children, exes, old roommates, and various other free-loaders from Netflix accounts worldwide, the streamer is once again changing up its subscription model. We bet you can guess which end of the spectrum they’re removing.

Sometime this morning, one of what used to be Netflix’s four available U.S. and U.K. subscription tiers quietly lost its ranks, per The Hollywood Reporter. From now on, new and rejoining users will no longer be able to sign up for the Basic plan, which cost subscribers $9.99 per month. Per a note on Netflix’s FAQ page, current Basic users will be able to keep their plan until they cancel the service. (Or Netflix changes its mind.) Netflix confirmed the change in an email to The A.V. Club.

The cheapest option—Standard with ads, for $6.99 per month—is still available, as well as the two more expensive options: Standard for $15.49 per month and Premium (which mostly just boosts video/sound quality and the number of devices that can stream at once) for $19.99 per month.

The Basic plan allowed users to rewatch the I Think You Should Leave zipline sketch (or anything else in the library) as many times as they wanted ad-free, on one device at a time. Video quality was also capped at 720p. It seems that Netflix has rendered Basic somewhat redundant now that all devices have to stream from the same wifi network. The days of negotiating with parents and siblings off at college over who gets to watch Stranger Things at any given time are over for most families.

All in all, this move isn’t that surprising considering the streamer already removed the plan a month ago in Canada.

This story has been update to include a statement from Netflix.

 
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