Netflix kills Basic plan in country where it often starts changes
Netflix will stop offering its Basic plan in Canada, where it often implements new policies that are later expanded to other countries.
The Winnipeg Free Press was the first to report about the change, which has seen the CAD$9.99 (R141) plan scrapped.
New subscribers will have to choose between the more expensive CAD$16.49 (R232) Standard plan or Basic with Ads at CAD$6.99 (R98).
For now, existing Basic subscribers won’t be forced to upgrade to a higher-end tier or Basic with Ads and can continue using their plan as-is.
However, if they switch to another plan, it will not be possible to go back to Basic without ads.
Citing a Netflix spokesperson, the publication reported that the Basic plan for existing customers would be scrapped in the “near future”.
Canada was one of the first countries where Netflix tested its add-on option for Standard or Premium account password sharers.
Netflix likely reckons the availability of its new add-on plan — which allows for adding an extra member slot for CAD$7.99 (R112) per month — renders the need for a separate Basic tier moot.
The add-on account comes with many of the benefits of Standard and Premium at about half the price.
It remains to be seen if it plans to scrap Basic in other countries where the add-on feature is available.
Basic in South Africa
The Basic tier is Netflix’s entry-level option in most countries, except for the handful where it also offers an even cheaper Mobile subscription.
In South Africa, Basic has been R99 per month since Netflix introduced rand-denominated pricing.
It is substantially cheaper than the R159 that Standard subscribers currently pay.
The mobile-only plan, which was first introduced locally in June 2021, is priced at R49 per month.
Unlike Mobile, however, Basic is not limited to smartphones.
Netflix Basic is still better suited to smaller screen devices like laptops and tablets, as its streaming resolution maxes out at 720p HD.
Basic subscriptions are also limited to one simultaneous stream at a time and one device for offline viewing.
Netflix is yet to confirm password-sharing add-on options or cheaper ad-supported subscriptions for South Africa.
While the former is believed to be in the pipeline for a local rollout before the end of the year, Netflix’s ad-supported subscriptions have targeted more affluent countries without Mobile plans.
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