If you are a current NETFLIX user on their old BASIC PLAN at $12.99, you will be notified via email that the Netflix Basic plan is officially being discontinued.
Users will automatically be moved to the Standard with Ads plan for $7.99 per month (just over 35% less than the $12.99 Basic plan).
Netflix officially stopped offering this BASIC Plan to new customers 18 months ago but until now customers who wanted to remain on the plan were able to keep it.
Not any more
Here’s what Netflix’s current plans look like:
Netflix plans in Australia
- Ad-supported: $7.99 per month
- No ads: $18.99 per month
- Premium: $25.99 per month, includes 4K, HDR, and spatial audio
Netflix accounts are intended for people who live together in one household. Others need to sign up for their own account.
The Standard Netflix plan can be added to a bundle with Foxtel Plus for $85 per month. It includes access to high-definition content and the ability to watch Netflix on two screens at once.
The Netflix Basic plan was an oddball, in that it only offered 720p resolution compared to the 1080p you can get with the Standard with Ads plan.
Netflix originally axed the plan because when customers to move a plan with ads, it gets paid twice. Once by the subscriber, and a second time by the advertisers. In a letter to shareholders when it started testing eliminating the Basic plan, it emphasised the need for greater monetisation.
Now if users in Australia don’t want to catch ads in between episodes of the final season of Stranger Things they’ll need to sign up for at least the Standard plan from $18.99 per month.
If neither ads nor an $18.99 per month subscription appeal to you (and you’re not actively watching anything on Netflix) than don’t forget there are other options such as Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus (for now without ads in Australia and with ESPN coming soon).