Netflix is angering customers once more by killing off its cheapest ad-free subscription tier.
The streaming giant is telling users who are subscribed to its £6.99/$9.99 ‘Basic’ tier that it will end at the end of the month.
Users are having to either upgrade to a more expansive tier or be forced to watch adverts.
Since July last year, Netflix stopped new or returning users from signing up for ‘Basic’, although existing subscribers were still able to use it.
However, it’s now being killed off for good – on July 31 – and users are not happy, accusing the company of ‘pure greed’.
Netflix’s ad-supported tier (‘Basic with adverts’) launched in November 2022 and it was originally an alternative option to the existing ad-free ‘Basic’ tier for £6.99. However, Netflix is killing off this ad-free Basic tier in an attempt to force users towards the ad option
People took to social media site X (Twitter) to slam the streaming giant, with one describing the move as ‘the last straw’
Users have been receiving on-screen notifications from Netflix informing them of the move.
The notification, shared on Reddit by one customer, says: ‘Your last day to watch Netflix is July 13th. Choose a new plan to keep watching.’
The Reddit user said: ‘Netflix won’t let me watch the last few weeks of my subscription without resubsribing [sic].
‘There’s no option to continue watching without selecting a new plan.’
People took to social media site X (Twitter) to share similar experiences and slam the streaming giant, with one describing the move as ‘the last straw’.
In an angry tirade, another user said Netflix ‘can f*** off with their adverts’ and accused the $290 billion company of ‘pure greed’.
Back in autumn 2022 when Netflix announced ads would be introduced for the first time, it said ‘nothing about the way you watch Netflix is going to change’.
In an angry tirade, another user said Netflix ‘can f*** off with their adverts and accused the $290 billion company of ‘pure greed’
Back in autumn 2022 when Netflix announced ads would be coming, it said ‘nothing about the way you watch Netflix is going to change’
Netflix’s ‘Basic with ads’ tier plays adverts between and even during TV shows and movies, but at a reduced monthly fee – $6.99/£4.99.
Along with this it offers Standard (£10.99/$15.49 per month) or Premium (£17.99/$22.99 per month) – neither of which force viewers to watch ads.
So users who had still been enjoying Basic (without ads) are now forced to choose one of these alternatives.
In other words, they have to either endure ads while paying £4.99/month, or pay a lot more if they don’t want to watch ads at all.
Netflix is killing off its ad-free Basic tier in an attempt to force users towards the ad option – which brings the company revenue from the advertisers.
It’s also been cracking down on password-sharing, forcing people to pay an extra fee if a single Netflix account is used between more than one household.
Pictured, Netflix’s old price structure from just over a year ago: Note the presence of Basic (£6.99). Now, while scrolling through Netflix’s website you see no mention of Basic, as if it never existed. The top tier (Premium) is also more expensive now – £17.99, up from £15.99
In the UK, Netflix now has to contend with a new rival to go with the likes of Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
Tubi is a streaming service owned by media giant Fox that doesn’t require payment or even require a signup process.
It has launched in the UK this week after being available in the US for a decade – although British users aren’t impressed by its range of content.
