Viewers in the U.S. and U.K. no longer can sign up for a basic Netflix subscription plan after the streaming company dropped the tier.
The basic plan, which let subscribers watch on one screen, was originally dropped in Canada before going dark for pending U.S. and U.K. users. According to the announcement on Netflix’s website, users who are signed up will be allowed to stay on the plan, but any new users will have to buy the premium subscription plan or go with the one that features advertisements.
The move comes after Netflix launched the ad-supported plan in April. The plan costs users $6.99 a month in the U.S. and a little under that in Britain. Premium plans, which feature no ads, run $15.99 a month in the U.S. and $2 less than that in the U.K.
The ad-supported plan was a hit for Netflix. According to the company’s Q2 financial report, the ad-backed package garnered an impressive 5 million global subscribers.
It remains unclear whether Netflix will remove the basic plan from other countries.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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