Netflix fans worldwide have been left livid and threatening to close their accounts following the news that the streaming giant will get rid of its non-ad-supported basic tier.
An email was recently sent out to international viewers saying that anybody who has an account in the UK, Canada and Australia and is subscribed to the popular basic tier will have their accounts automatically switched on June 4th to the standard with ads offering. It remains unclear whether these new changes will impact viewers in the US.
This announcement comes only nine months after Netflix removed the option for new subscribers to purchase the cheapest ad-free plan. When they announced this, they simultaneously said they would be retiring the basic tier in mid-2024, which has now been given an official date. The news has come as a massive shock to Netflix’s fanbase, which was already aggravated by previous decisions made by the streaming giant.
Netflix has tried to ease fans’ concerns over the news, saying they will now pay a much cheaper monthly rate for the standard with ads plan. Currently, any user on the basic subscription pays £7.99 a month, but this will go down to £4.99 a month under this new subscription. Netflix also revealed that the video quality will go up under the new subscription, making it quicker and easier for fans to download shows and movies.
Fans are frustrated that these supposed “benefits” come with the consequence of having to sit through a certain number of unskippable ads for every piece of content they watch. Generally, on streaming sites, the options are either to pay for a subscription or to sit through ads, Netflix’s new mandatory option of both seems a bit harsh on the viewer. Viewers can only avoid ads altogether by paying £10.99 a month, a £3 increase on the already increased streaming rates.
Regardless of some of the benefits of the cheaper price point, fans across Australia, the UK and Canada aren’t happy about losing access to the basic tier option. The news has been met somewhat negatively, but it remains unclear whether Netflix will backtrack in light of this reception.
This remains a developing story.
