Netflix is slowly getting rid of its cheapest ad-free plan in some markets. The Verge reports that a number of posts on Reddit in Canada and the UK who subscribe to the Basic plan indicate they have received notifications in the Netflix app stating they will lose access to the streaming service on July 13 unless they switch over to another plan.
The company did previously announce back in January it would stop offering its Basic plan with no ads in more of its markets in the second quarter of 2024, starting with Canada and the UK, Today"s reveal shows that Netflix will actually miss that second quarter 2024 target date, but only by a couple of weeks.
That means people in Canada and the UK who have signed up for the Basic no-ads plan must switch over to the cheaper Basic (with ads) plan, or sign up for one of the more expensive no-ads plans. Netflix previously announced back in May that the Basic with ads plan now has 40 million users, which is becoming a bigger part of the streaming service"s revenue.
At the moment, the Basic with ads plan for Netflix is still available for US users who are currently signed up for that price tier. It currently costs $11,99 a month. However, it"s likely just a matter of weeks or months before those subscribers will have to switch to a new plan like their Canadian or UK counterparts.
A few weeks ago, there were rumors that Netflix executives were discussing a possible way to offer the service completely for free, with ads. If such a version of the service is launched it would not be made available in the US, but it could launch in parts of Europe and Asia where the company could still snap up some people who haven"t subscribed yet.