Netflix will also stop offering the Basic subscription in the United Kingdom and in its home country, the United States. New users can now choose from a Standard subscription with advertising or a Standard or Premium subscription.
Until recently there was a Basic subscription for Netflix customers in the relevant countries, but now the streaming service says on the official US and UK support pages: “The Basic plan is no longer available to new or returning customers. If you currently have the Basic plan, you can continue to do so until you change plans or cancel.”
New and returning customers now have the choice from the cheapest Standard with ads plan for $7 or £5 a month, which allows users to stream in 1080p on two devices at the same time. Downloading content is not possible with this subscription. The next ad-free plan costs $15.49 or £11 per month and supports downloads and offers the option to add an additional sub-account. Originally, the Basic subscription fell between the two options listed, although this was a single-user ad-free subscription.
Previously, Netflix in Canada stopped offering the Basic subscription. The United States and Canada together are the streaming service’s largest market, so it seems that the company wants to put a greater emphasis on the advertising subscription. There is as yet no reason to assume that Netflix will do the same in the Benelux; after all, a cheaper subscription with commercial breaks is not yet available here.