Angry Netflix fans threaten to close their accounts as streaming giant confirms it’s axing its Basic tier for good in June

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Furious Netflix fans have threatened to close their accounts after the streaming giant confirmed it’s getting rid of its non-ad supported Basic tier.

In an email sent to international customers – a correspondence that I, as a UK viewer, also received – Netflix revealed that it’s ending support for its popular Basic subscription on June 4. Anyone who’s still subscribed to this tier, myself included, will be automatically switched over to Netflix’s Standard with Ads offering on the same date.

The announcement comes nine months after Netflix removed the option for new subscribers to purchase its cheapest ad-free plan globally. And, even though the streaming giant confirmed (in January) that it would be retiring the Basic tier in mid-2024, the sudden revelation that it’s getting rid of the plan has come as a shock to Netflix’s increasingly aggrieved fanbase.

In a bid to temper the inevitable backlash, Netflix tried to put a positive spin on the fact that millions of users will be forced to subscribe to its Standard with Ads subscription, aka the streamer’s new cheapest plan. 

For one, Netflix confirmed that fans would save money by the switchover – in the UK, for example, Basic subscribers currently pay £7.99 a month, but you’ll soon see that price slashed by 35% (down to £4.99 per month) with their new subscription. Netflix also revealed that any new Standard with Ads users will also be upgraded from the Basic tier’s 720p video quality to full HD (1080p), and that you’ll be able to stream/download the best Netflix shows, best Netflix movies, and best Netflix documentaries on two devices in the same household. The cost of enjoying these perks? Being made to sit through a certain number of unskippable ads for every hour of content you watch.

Even with these benefits and a cheaper price point, however, fans across the UK, Canada, Australia, and further afield are not happy about losing access to the Basic tier. Indeed, users have taken to social media to vent their frustrations over the world’s best streaming service‘s latest bright idea, with many simply stating that they plan to cancel their subscriptions, rather than be strong-armed into having to subscribe to Netflix’s ad-supported tier.

Why is Netflix getting rid of its Basic subscription tier?

First there was the account sharing crackdown, then yearly price rises, and now this… (Image credit: Shutterstock)

So, why is Netflix erasing its Basic tier option from history? Unsurprisingly, it all comes down to money. According to Reuters, Netflix is set to make around $1 billion in ad revenue in 2024 – a 50% increase on what it earned from advertisements in 2023. Netflix continues to defy critics where its divisive ad-supported tier is concerned, too, with Variety suggesting that over 20 million US-based fans are currently signed up to Standard with Ads – a 27% share of Netflix’s total US userbase.

With that cash injection bolstering its revenue streams, Netflix wants maximize exposure to ads on its platform to not only appease companies whose ads currently air on the service, but to also entice other corporations to similarly showcase their products to consumers.

And hey, if some fans don’t want to sit through ads while they watch Netflix, the entertainment giant has an answer for that, too. Removing its Basic tier means that customers will have to sign up to one of its more expensive Standard or Premium tiers. Again, anyone who purchases one of these subscriptions is helping to line Netflix’s pockets. In short: it’s a monetary win-win for Netflix to permanently get rid of its Basic tier.

Pleased though its executives and shareholders will be by this additional income, however, Netflix is walking a dangerous path where it could really start to lose trust in consumers. Users have already had to deal with Netflix’s password sharing crackdown and yearly price hikes across the US, UK, France, and other nations, so there’s only so much more that some customers will take before they decide to walk away from Netflix for good. 

Time will tell if Netflix’s latest international rollout proves to be the final straw for many non-US users but, if the streaming titan hopes to hold off its rivals’ attempts to dethrone it as the world’s most popular platform, it can’t keep treating its fanbase with such disdain.

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