The Morning After: Netflix axes its ‘Basic’ plan

Netflix has removed its $10 Basic tier — once the service's cheapest plan without ads — in the US and the UK. The company has updated its pricing page to say new and rejoining members in both countries can no longer sign up for the Basic tier. If you’re already on the plan, you can keep your membership as is (and pay $10 a month) until you cancel or change your subscription – or Netflix changes its mind, I’m guessing.

If new members don't want to pay for a Standard plan, they must now make do with the Standard Ad-Supported tier, which costs $7 a month in the US and £5 in the UK. It supports Full HD streams and viewing on two devices at a time, like the no-ads Standard plan but lacks offline viewing. How many ads are you likely to see if you want to save money? Netflix says you’ll get an average of four minutes of ads an hour at around 15 to 30 seconds each, which, of course, you can’t skip. Streaming services are all looking to get more money out of us, whether they’re closing off their cheapest plans or increasing their base prices. YouTube Premium seems to be following .

– Mat Smith

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