New Netflix subscribers in the U.S. will no longer have access to the streamer’s lowest-priced ad-free plan. The company removed the $9.99 a month “Basic” plan from its U.S. offering this week after making the same move in Canada in June.
According to the statement posted on the company’s website, the change will affect “new and rejoining members.”
“If you are currently on the Basic plan, you can remain on this plan until you change plans or cancel your account,” the company added.
The move is likely part of Netflix’s push to promote its ad-supported plan. At a cost of $6.99 per month, the “Standard with ads” plan is now the most affordable option for new users. The Standard plan, which offers ad-free streaming, costs $15.49 and gives users an option to add an extra member to the plan for $7.99 each.
Elimination of the “Basic” plan comes ahead of Netflix’s quarterly earnings results release. The streaming service gained the trust of investors in recent months thanks to the ad-supported plan and its initiative to crack down on the practice of password sharing. As a result, Netflix shares have recovered after challenging the second part of 2022 and are now up almost 62% year to date.