Netflix has quietly killed the $9.99 CAD per month basic plan in Canada for new subscribers, as first noted by the Canadian publication BlogTo. This simplifies the streaming company’s offering but leaves a big gap between the ad-supported plan and the standard plan.
The company’s plans still start at $5.99 CAD per month with the recently introduced ad-supported plan, which offers most of the Netflix catalog with support for 1080p HD streaming. If users want to get rid of ads and enable downloads, they will have to shell out $16.99 CAD per month for the Standard plan.
As a reminder, the Basic plan offered ad-free streaming, but it was limited to 720p and one concurrent stream. People who are currently paying for the Basic plan will be able to continue with the plan till they cancel the account.
“The Basic plan is no longer available for new or 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 said on its support page.
Image Credits: Netflix
We have reached out to Netflix to understand if the company plans to make similar decisions in other markets, and we’ll update the story if the company comments on the matter. In the U.S., Netflix already hides the Basic plan when you try to create a new account. You have to click on “See all plans” to display it.
Here’s what it looks like in the U.S. (green arrows added for emphasis):
Image Credits: Netflix
Canada was one of the first markets to get ad-supported plans last year followed by launches in other markets like the U.S., Australia, Japan and Korea. In April, Netflix bumped up the benefits of the ad-supported plan to enable Full HD streaming and support for two concurrent streams.
Last month, the company said that it has attracted more than 5 million users across the world for its ad-based plans. Notably, the streaming giant has yet to launch this tier in many countries. Analysts reports have estimated that Netflix will earn more than $1.9 billion in ad revenues next year.