Netflix has axed its cheapest ad-free subscription package in the UK and US.
Previously, subscribers to Netflix could pay $9.99/£6.99 a month for the 'basic plan'. This was not the absolute cheapest option, but it was the cheapest option without any adverts.
The introduction of the package which included ads also proved a controversial decision for the company, as viewers were frustrated that they would pay for a subscription service and still have to watch adverts, which are more often found on free-to-access services.
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However, now any new subscribers who want to have an ad-free experience on Netflix will have to pay a bit more for the privilege.
The cheapest ad-free option is now the 'Standard' option.
Previously, the $9.99 'Basic' option allowed users to stream in HD on only one device. This was a good package for people who only watch on one device and so don't need the extra options offered in the 'Standard' package.
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The 'Standard' package offers HD streaming on two devices, which costs $15.49/£10.99 per month.
Any new subscribers to Netflix will now have to get this package if they want to avoid having to watch ads while streaming.
The cheapest option is $6.99/£4.99 per month, which has ads included.
If you are currently a subscriber to this plan, don't panic! Users who are currently subscribed to it can keep their subscription as long as they don't cancel or change their plan. However, once you move off this plan, there's no coming back.
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Netflix has defended the move, highlighting that its cheapest option, the 'Basic with Ads' package, is still cheap.
Netflix told The Verge: “Starting prices of $6.99 in the US and £4.99 in the UK are lower than the competition.”
UNILAD has contacted Netflix for comment.
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It comes after the steaming platform hiked its prices back in 2022, with the 'Standard' option - which is also the most popular - increasing by £1 in the UK.
Netflix's stock price fell dramatically between January and May 2022, but has been recovering steadily since then.
However, the streamer is at the centre of the combined strike of the Writers' Guild of America , who were recently joined by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
The combined strike, the first since 1960, has seen production in Hollywood grind to a halt. Strikers are demanding increases in both base pay and residuals in the streaming TV era, and are also seeking assurances that their work will not be replaced by AI in the future.
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One video showed Orange Is The New Black star Kimiko Glenn revealing her royalties for the series. These were a paltry $27.50.
Kit Roberts