Binge on a Budget No More? Netflix Ends Cheapest Plan, Hikes Prices

Netflix last year phased out its most affordable ad-free subscription plan, priced at $11.99 per month for new subscribers in the US and UK. Now, a number of posts on the social media platform hint that the change has been rolled out for existing users as well. If Netflix users in the US want to enjoy ad-free movies and series, they have to subscribe to the most economical ad-free option, which costs $15.49 (roughly Rs. 1,300) and $22.99 (roughly Rs. 1,900) respectively. is

The plans show a significant increase in prices. Sharing a screenshot on the Netflix subreddit, a Reddit user showed a notification from Netflix requesting them to change plans. In the screenshot, the Basic plan is missing, with the ‘Standard with Adds’ plan being the cheapest option priced at $6.99 (roughly Rs. 580) per month.

Captioning the post, the Reddit user wrote, “So you’re telling me that even after getting a monthly payment plan, they locked some shows behind a paywall?? I’m already paying for this service, why should I pay more?” Need to?!” While the standard plan offers streaming in Full HD and allows users to watch on two devices simultaneously, premium plan subscribers can watch on four devices simultaneously in 4K.

Amy Reinhardt, Netflix’s president of advertising, says ad-supported plans are their most popular option among users. The ad-supported scheme now has 40 million active users worldwide, compared to 5 million users last year. In addition, 40 percent of all Netflix sign-ups come from ad-supported plans.

The development comes amid reports that the video-streaming service may introduce ad-supported free-to-watch plans in certain regions. The report further stated that the move by the streaming giant is aimed at increasing the streaming platform’s audience, citing people familiar with the matter. It is worth noting that the basic plan is still available to existing Netflix subscribers in India, indicating that the ad-supported tiers have not yet been rolled out in the country. The platform offers four plans in the country namely Mobile, Basic, Standard and Premium. The basic plan is priced at Rs 199 per month. The plan allows streaming to mobile phones, computers, tablets and smart TVs in 720p resolution, limited to one active screen at a time.