Netflix has quietly removed its basic streaming plan from Canada

With Netflix Canada users already somewhat aggrieved about the streaming giant's recent moves to crack down on password sharing and bring in an advertising-supported subscription option to bolster revenue, the company has made another tweak to its packages that customers will surely not be a fan of.

Unlike the other two widely-publicized changes, it seems Netflix has made this new modification very quietly — but some people are still taking notice this month.

Back when the platform introduced its advertising tier in November, Canadian viewers were given four membership options: Netflix Basic ($9.99/month), which only permitted one screen at a time; Basic with ads ($5.99), which has a few minutes of ads per hour and is also limited to one device at a time; Standard ($16.49), for up to two screens at once; and Premium ($20.99), for up to four.

If you caught on to the past tense used when describing the first plan, yes, you guessed it: Netflix Basic, without ads, is now suddenly no longer available for purchase north of the border.

how you gonna jump from $5.99 w ads to over $16 for the next plan + tax too....... that's crazy

— 柑 (@noonhue) June 17, 2023

Despite blogTO reaching out to Netflix's PR team multiple times, it did not reply with further details about when or why the change was made, or what Canadian users can expect in the future.

Based on complaints, it seems people just started realizing the switch in June.

icb netflix started the hosted device password login whatever thing in canada first and they are also got rid of the Basic plan in canada LIKE WHAT DID WE EVEN DO

— na (@qileena) June 11, 2023

As of the time of publication, Netflix Basic and Netflix Basic with ads are no longer listed on the brand's Plans and Pricing page, the former completely missing and the latter renamed "Standard with ads."

A web archive version of the page shows that it did recently include both Basic and the renamed Standard with ads as choices, even into June, if the Wayback Machine Internet Archive can be trusted.

While many vowed to cancel their subscription to the service because of the new password sharing rules, sign-ups actually doubled after the transition, at least in the U.S.