The demise of Netflix’s lowest-priced ad-free plan continues in the UK and Canada as users in those markets report receiving deadlines to upgrade or accept ads. Co-CEO Greg Peters stated that the price hikes are intended to help pay for a wider range of content options.
Users of Netflix’s Basic tier in the UK and Canada have been informed that they must either upgrade to a higher-cost plan or accept ads. A Canadian user posted a message on Reddit informing them that the Basic plan had been discontinued and offered them new plans starting at $5.99 with upgraded features.
In response to a similar message in the UK, one user jokingly stated that they chose to save 100% on their new plan. The starting price for the new Standard plan with ads in Canada is $5.99, while the ad-free option costs $16.49, replacing the Basic plan which cost $9.99.
Although Netflix stopped offering the Basic plan to new and returning users last year, existing subscribers in the US are still able to remain on their plan until it is changed or canceled. Co-CEO Greg Peters mentioned that the price hikes are meant to help the company invest in a wider range of content options to provide more diverse and higher quality shows.
Netflix is not the only streaming service to raise prices, as ten of the top services have done so at least once in the past year. The latest hike from Max took effect on Thursday. It is worth mentioning that Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider’s parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.