Netflix Eliminates Basic Ad-Free Plan – What Are Your Options Now?
It was last year that Netflix made the basic ad-free plan unavailable to new customers and users who had already subscribed to the plan were able to use it. However, recently, Netflix announced that the basic ad-free plan has been completely discontinued. First, it happened to the users of a few regions, and subscribers were surprised when they saw the message “Your Basic plan has been discontinued” on their screens. Now, all users across the United States, Canada, the UK, and more are encouraged to switch to other plans, including the cheaper standard plan with ads or more expensive standard and premium plans.
Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix, explained other options for customers after the Netflix Basic plan was discontinued:
“Essentially, we’re providing them a better experience, two streams versus one. We’ve got a higher definition. We got downloads. And, of course, all at a lower price, $6.99 in the United States. We think that represents a tremendous entertainment value. And it includes ads. And for members who don’t want that ads experience, they, of course, can choose our ads-free standard or premium plans as well.”
He said in a video interview related to Netflix earnings for the second quarter of 2024.
The basic ad-free plan was available for $11.99 a month, and users could only use it on one device simultaneously. The content was available in HD quality, and it was the cheapest ad-free plan. Now, the standard plan at $15.49 takes the Basic plan’s place as the most affordable ad-free option.
Current Netflix Plans
With the basic ad-free plan gone, users are left with 3 Netflix plans to choose from. Let’s check out each plan’s features and cost:
Standard with Ads Plan
The most affordable Netflix plan is the Standard with Ads. It’s available at $6.99 per month. Moreover, depending on where you live, you may need to pay a tax fee in addition to the subscription payment. Here are the features of this plan:
- Ad-supported
- All but a few movies and TV shows are available
- Unlimited mobile games
- Full HD stream quality (1080p)
- Support for 2 simultaneous devices
- Ability to download content on 2 supported devices at a time
Standard Plan
The standard plan is now the most attractive one for people who don’t like to see ads while watching their favorite movies and TV shows. The plan is available at $15.49 per month and adding extra member slots will cost you an additional $7.99 each month. Here are the features of the Standard Netflix plan:
- No ads
- Unlimited access to movies, TV Shows, and mobile games
- Support for 2 devices at a time
- Full HD stream quality (1080p)
- Ability to download content on 2 supported devices at a time
- Ability to add 1 extra member who you don’t live with
Premium Plan
Netflix Premium is the best plan with all the features which is suitable for families and users who watch content on multiple devices. Premium is available at $22.99 per month, and you can add extra member slots for an additional $7.99 per month. The features of the premium plan include:
- No ads
- Unlimited access to movies, TV Shows, and mobile games
- Support for 4 devices at a time
- 4K Ultra HD quality + support for HDR
- Ability to download content on 6 supported devices at a time
- Ability to add 2 extra members who you don’t live with
- Support for Netflix spatial audio
What to Expect from Netflix Moving Forward
When the process of discontinuing Netflix’s Basic plan started, many users were wondering about its reason and how it was going to impact future decisions from Netflix. The company stated in its last earnings report that phasing out the basic plan increased its ads member base by 34% sequentially in the second quarter of 2024.
With a 35 million subscriber increase compared to the second quarter of 2023, it seems like their decision to discontinue the basic plan, coupled with disabling the password-sharing features, has produced promising results.
Considering that the streaming service is experiencing an increase in its subscribers, it’s safe to assume that a near future rise in prices or significant change in the plans is not planned. Moreover, Netflix’s ad revenue is growing nicely. Although right now, it’s not the primary driver of their revenue, it can be in a few years.
