Netflix Is Ending Its Cheapest Ad-Free Plan For Users, Asking Them To Pay More Now

Netflix phased out its most affordable ad-free subscription plan, priced at $11.99 per month, for new subscribers in the US and the UK last year. Now, a number of posts on social media platforms hint that the change has been introduced for existing users too. If Netflix users in the US want to enjoy ad-free movies and series, they have to subscribe to the most economical ad-free option, priced at $15.49 (approximately Rs 1,300) and $ 22.99 (roughly Rs 1,900) per month, respectively.

The plans represent a substantial increase in pricing. Sharing a screenshot on the Netflix subreddit, a Reddit user showed a notification from Netflix requesting him to switch plans. In the screenshot, the Basic plan appears to be missing, with the ‘Standard with Ads’ plan costing at $6.99 (roughly Rs. 580) per month being the most affordable option.

Captioning the post, the Reddit user wrote, “So you’re telling me that even after getting a plan that’s paid monthly, they locked certain shows behind a paywall?? I’m already paying for this service, why do I need to pay more?!”

While the Standard plan offers streaming in Full HD and allows users to watch on up to two devices simultaneously, Premium plan subscribers can watch on four devices together in 4K.

Netflix’s President of Advertising, Amy Reinhard, says the ad-supported plan is their most popular option among users. This ad-based plan now has 40 million active users worldwide, compared to the 5 million user mark last year. In addition to that, 40 percent of all Netflix’s sign-ups come from the ad-supported plan.

This development comes amidst reports that the video-streaming service may introduce an ad-supported free-to-watch plan in certain regions. The report further stated that the move by the streaming giant is aimed at increasing the streaming platform’s audience, citing people familiar with the matter.

It is worth noting that the basic plan is still available to existing Netflix subscribers in India, hinting that the ad-supported tiers haven’t been rolled out in the country yet. The platform provides four plans in the country, namely Mobile, Basic, Standard, and Premium. The basic plan is priced at Rs 199 per month. This plan allows streaming across mobile phones, computers, tablets, and smart TVs in 720p resolution, limited to one active screen at a time.