Netflix Ditches Cheapest Ad-Free Subscription Plan

Netflix is getting rid of its lowest-priced ad-free tier for subscribers in the United States and UK as the streamer pushes consumers towards ad-supported options.

The Basic plan, which allows a single stream for $9.99 per month in the U.S. is no longer available for new or rejoining members. Instead, Netflix is allowing current members to remain on the plan unless they decide to change their subscriptions or cancel their accounts. Meanwhile, the dropping of the Basic plan is meant to steer viewers toward the ad-supported Standard With Ads plan, which the company first debuted in November 2022.

(Credit: Netflix)

Since the debut of the ad-supported option, Netflix claims more than 5 million members have signed up for the ad-supported plans, according to Variety. “Our starting prices of $6.99 in the US and £4.99 in the U.K. [for Standard With Ads] are lower than the competition and provide great value to consumers given the breadth and quality of our catalog,” a spokesperson for the streamer told the outlet.

The Netflix Standard With Adsplan provides viewing on up to two devices simultaneously which is also the case with the no-ads Standard plan, but it doesn’t provide offline viewing or the option to add an extra member. The plan delivers an average of 4 minutes of unskippable ads per hour.

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'House of Cards' & 'Arrested Development' Among Missing Titles in Netflix's Ad-Tier

Due to licensing restrictions, the ad-supported plans do not feature a small amount of programming but boast the vast majority of TV shows and movies on the platform. Among the shows not included in the ad-supported tier are, House of Cards, Peaky Blinders, Arrested Development,  The Good Place, Friday Night Lights, The Last Kingdom, The Magicians, Good Girls, and The Sinner.

If subscribers prefer ad-free content, the tiers still available for new or rejoining members include the Standard plan at $15.49 per month and Premium which is $19.99 per month.