Netflix is out for more profit. This has not only been shown in recent months with the restriction of accounts to individual households, through which the streaming provider 5,9 million new subscriptions could note down. But also in the abolition of the basic subscription, first in Canada and now also in the USA and Great Britain. In German-speaking countries, the restriction to the cheap, advertising-financed subscription (€4,99) and the two more expensive subscriptions (€12,99 and €17,99) will not be long in coming. The basic subscription for €7,99 without advertising is now only offered as a hidden option.
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Netflix basic subscription is being pushed out of the offer
It is interesting to see that the advertising-supported cheap subscription for 4,99 euros per month brings a streaming resolution of 1080p (Full HD). The basic subscription for 7,99 euros per month without advertising only shows streams in 720p (HD). If you want to do without advertising, but want Full HD resolution, you have to access the standard subscription for 12,99 euros per month. With this, Netflix is intentionally scaring off basic users – probably in order to be able to state when abolishing this subscription option that it was becoming less and less popular and booked less often anyway. By the way, if you want 4K and HDR, you have to book the premium tariff for 17,99 euros per month.
The basic tariff is already hidden in the selection
If you want to see the subscription overview shown above on the Netflix booking page, then click on "More information" on the start page for the first subscription offer. Then you click the red "Next" button and you are now faced with the choice of three subscriptions that Netflix wants to make palatable. However, if you want to explicitly do without the better video quality in order to avoid having to see any advertising and to save 5 euros per month, you first have to click on the comparatively small and inconspicuous "Show all subscriptions" button. Only then will Basic be displayed in addition to Standard with advertising, Standard and Premium.
Development indicates a timely change
Both the fact that Great Britain is the first European market to be affected by the cancellation of the basic subscription and the fact that it is hidden in the overview of booking options are strong indications. They indicate that the possibility of comparatively cheap streaming of 720p content without advertising will soon disappear in Germany and other countries. It is not clear how long existing subscriptions will be maintained before customers have to decide on the cheap advertising alternative or the expensive advertising-free alternative. At a certain point, the switch to this subscription and the initial booking of the same will be removed from the list of options, at least completely.
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[On vacation] After graduating from high school, Johannes completed training as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which led to his independence. He has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others, for several years now. His articles include product introductions, news, instructions, video games, consoles and much more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.
