- Netflix ends £6.99 ad-free membership
- Users must upgrade or watch ads
- Customers accuse Netflix of greed
Netflix has angered customers once more by discontinuing its cheapest ad-free membership option.
The streaming giant has informed subscribers to its £6.99/$9.99 ‘Basic’ tier that it will expire at the end of the month.
Users must either upgrade to a more expansive tier or be forced to watch advertisements.
Since July last year, Netflix has prohibited new or returning users from signing up for ‘Basic’; however, existing subscribers can still use it.
However, it will be permanently discontinued on July 31, and consumers are outraged, accusing the corporation of ‘pure greed’.
Netflix has begun sending out on-screen notifications informing users of the shift.
One customer uploaded the notification on Reddit: “Your last day to watch Netflix is July 13.” To continue watching, choose a new plan.
The Reddit user wrote: ‘Netflix won’t allow me to view the last couple weeks of my subscription unless I resubscribe [sic].
‘There is no way to continue observing without choosing a new plan.’
People turned to social media platform X (Twitter) to express their identical experiences and criticize the streaming behemoth, with one calling the move ‘the last straw’.
In a heated rant, another user claimed Netflix ‘can f*** off with their advertisements’ and accused the $290 billion firm of ‘pure selfishness’.
When Netflix revealed adverts for the first time in autumn 2022, it stated that ‘nothing about how you watch Netflix is going to change’.
Netflix’s ‘Basic with commercials‘ tier shows ads between and even during TV shows and movies but for a lower monthly charge of $6.99/£4.99.
It also provides Standard (£10.99/$15.49 per month) and Premium (£17.99/$22.99 per month) plans, none of which need viewers to see advertisements.
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Users who had previously enjoyed Basic (ad-free) are now forced to choose one of these alternatives.
In other words, users must either endure commercials while paying £4.99 per month or spend far more if they do not want to watch ads.
Netflix is discontinuing its ad-free basic tier to encourage consumers to adopt it, which will generate cash for the firm through advertising.
It has also cracked down on password sharing, requiring consumers to pay an additional price if they use a single Netflix account for more than one household.
Netflix now has a new competitor in the United Kingdom, joining Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
Tubi is a streaming service run by media conglomerate Fox that does not require money or a signup process.
It arrived in the UK this week after being available in the United States for a decade, but British customers need to be more impressed with its content selection.
