Reports indicate that Netflix has initiated the process of canceling Basic subscriptions for current customers in countries where advertising subscriptions are available. The streaming service had previously removed the Basic option for new customers in these countries, with the exception of the Benelux region.
Although Netflix had originally announced plans to phase out the Basic option by the second half of 2024, this change had only impacted new customers until now. Some users on Reddit have reported receiving emails from Netflix, urging them to switch to a different subscription before June 1 as the Basic option is set to be permanently removed. Customers who fail to make the switch will have their memberships automatically canceled, as stated in the email. The specific market affected by these cancellations remains unclear.
Netflix began transitioning away from the Basic subscription in mid-2023, opting instead for options that include advertisements or a higher-priced variant without ads. While the company officially announced this strategy in early 2024, there had been no mention of how existing customers would be affected. For some time, new customers in countries like Canada, the United States, and Germany have been unable to select the Basic option. Up until now, existing customers had still been able to access this affordable subscription tier without ads.
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