Netflix, the media giant and streaming service, has once again made headlines for a controversial change to their subscription fees. Many subscribers are threatening to cancel their subscriptions over the disappointing changes.
Netflix has already been in hot water with its viewership since they did a harsh crackdown on password sharing. The decision was met with outrage as it meant no more sharing accounts across multiple households. This was most impactful for millennials and Gen Z, many of which were still using their parents’ Netflix accounts instead of paying for their own.
Soon after Netflix announced the password sharing crackdown, they made another controversial decision to increase their prices. The standard plan, which includes ad-free viewing now costs $15.49 as compared to $11.99 before the price hike.
Now, Netflix meets it’s viewership with another disappointing decision: They announced they will be ending their basic ad-free subscription plan in the UK and Canada. Instead, there will be a tiered system with advertisements for the viewers who elect not to upgrade their accounts.
In this new system, any subscribers on the current basic ad-free plan will be enrolled in the lowest tier of the new tier system, which includes advertisements in TV shows and movies.
The decision was met with upset from subscribers. The largest outcry came from subscribers who feel as though Netflix is increasing their prices and adding ads without adding real value to their subscription packages.
Not to mention, viewers were upset as the price hike comes after Netflix canceled numerous shows. One fan tweeted, “I hate watching shows without a proper ending in the first season because there’s a 80% chance @Netflix will cancel it, leaving me unsatisfied overall. Same price as cable too nowadays.”
In an effort to soften the blow, Netflix also announced that the video quality will be improved across the board. The 720p video quality that viewers currently have will be improved to HD. Although, most subscribers agree that this does not make up for the ads they will be forced to watch in between their favorite shows and movies.
They also announced some changes being made to the higher tier subscription plans. Viewers who upgrade to the standard subscription plan will be able to watch on multiple devices at the same time. And those who pay for the premium plan will be able to watch in Ultra HD and on up to 4 devices at a time.
The overwhelming consensus from the customer base is that they feel cheated despite the promises of higher video quality. The increased prices and incorporation of ads has many questioning the value of their Netflix account and may sway some viewers to pay for competing subscription services like Hulu, Max, Prime Video, etc.
