FULL PIVOT

Netflix Axes Its Cheapest Ad-Free Plan for New Subscribers

The platform, which once championed itself as being ad-free, is hoping to push new subscribers to its content that features advertisement breaks.

In Netflix’s latest pivot to ad-supported content, the streaming giant announced Wednesday that it’s axing its cheapest ad-free plan—known as “The Basic Plan”—to new signups and rejoining members in the U.S. and UK. Instead, users hoping to subscribe to the streaming service for less than $10 a month will now have to sit through periodic commercials. Those who want an ad-free experience, which Netflix once championed as a leading benefit of its service, will have to pay $15.49 a month for its standard plan or $20 for its premium plan. Netflix says customers already subscribed to The Basic Plan will be able to continue without advertisements for the same monthly price, $10, for the foreseeable future. In a statement to Variety, a Netflix spokesperson justified its latest switch up by claiming its prices are “lower than the competition and provide great value to consumers.”