NETFLIX users are blasting the streaming service for restricting content on its ad-supported subscription tier.
In a Reddit post from June 28, one user expressed shock upon realizing he would have to upgrade his plan to unlock more content.
His outrage set off a chain of responses where other users revealed they had canceled their subscriptions due to constant price hikes.
“I’ve stopped my subscription,” one user proclaimed, adding that they had resorted to pirating content.
“I spent the first forty years of my life watching cable, so ads don’t bother me at all,” another user claimed.
“But when I realized I wouldn’t have access to their full catalog if I chose a plan with ads, I quickly went from ‘That’s a price I’m willing to pay’ to ‘I guess I’ll keep subscribing for one month a year to catch up on things.'”
Netflix rolled out its ad-supported plan in November 2022 for $6.99 a month.
It is available in 12 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
As indicated in the name, the plan allows commercials before or during the content, though Netflix has vowed to “place ads during natural plot breaks for a more seamless experience.”
At the time of launch, the plan provided 720p video but no offline downloads and imposed limits on some content.
The quality has since been boosted to full HD, but some content remains tucked away behind a padlock icon.
Netflix even includes a disclaimer on its website, blaming “licensing restrictions.”
It is worth mentioning the number of “locked” shows has steadily decreased ever since the ad-free plan was introduced.
Sony and Universal remain the biggest holdouts, with some of Sony’s films and Universal’s TV shows hidden behind lock and key.
Complaints about streaming services hiking their prices are not new. This year alone, all of the major names in streaming have increased the cost of many subscription models.
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Max, for instance, announced it would be raising prices across its ad-free subscription tiers last month.
The Basic ad-free plan now costs $16.99 per month rather than $15.99, while the Standard 4K ad-free plan now costs $20.99 per month rather than $19.99.
Netflix itself announced it would be marking up prices in October 2023, marking the first time it had done so in over a year.
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The entry-level, ad-supported plan and Standard plan retained their prices.
However, Basic plan subscribers now pay $11.99 per month, an increase of $2 per month, while Premium plan subscribers pay $22.99 per month, up from $19.99.
And it seems the Basic plan won’t be around much longer.
Just months after upping the price, Netflix revealed users would have until July 13 to use the service before switching to another subscription tier.
The company announced it would be phasing out its Basic plan back in January, starting with users in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Use Netflix on a computer or laptop? Try these useful shortcuts
Here are some handy keyboard shortcuts…
- Spacebar – toggle play / pause
- Enter – toggle play / pause
- F – full screen
- Esc – exit full screen
- Left Arrow – rewind 10 seconds
- Right Arrow – fast-forward 10 seconds
- Up arrow – volume up
- Down arrow – volume down
- M – mute toggle
- Shift-Alt-Left Click – adjust the streaming bitrate (to improve or reduce the quality of the video)
This, of course, ignited the fury of customers who felt they were being stripped of options.
“It is infuriating to me the number of people who just accept these price hikes and ads,” one Redditor wrote.
“If people actually canceled their accounts we could fight this crap but of course most people won’t.”