Last month, Netflix made the bold move of introducing a new ad-based plan. Although this new tier is a bit cheaper than the others, it seems that Netflix may be trying to push people away from the cheapest ad-free plan - the Basic one - by hiding it from customers.
Netflix is Pushing Its Basic Plan with Ads Along with Its Standard and Premium Plan Options
As of press time, if a customer visits the Netflix website to sign up for a plan, the only options available will be the Basic with ads, Standard, and Premium plans. The story by 9to5Mac also confirmed that Netflix is trying to hide the cheapest ad-free plan from its website.
However, it has not been completely eliminated. A small link on the Netflix subscription page can still allow users to choose the basic ad-free plan. Some users can still see the four plans in the list without clicking on any links, so Netflix may be running some sort of A/B test to determine what is best for its customers.
Certain Users Can't View the Basic Ad-Free Plans on the Netflix Website When They Try to Subscribe
An article by Tecnoblog notes that the Netflix website no longer tries to show Basic ad-free plans to specific users when they try to subscribe to the service. The only option they see in the Basic plans is the one with ads.
Nevertheless, this has been perceived as a potentially dangerous dark pattern practice. By luring the user into less interesting or advantageous options, Netflix is pushing those who don't want a plan with ads to subscribe to more expensive plans.
Apple TV Users Reportedly Do Not have Access to the Cheaper Ad-Based Plan
The Basic plan with ads costs $6.99 per month, while the same plan without ads costs $9.99. The Standard plan costs $15.49, and the Premium one $19.99 - pushing users into tiers that can be up to $13 more expensive than the cheapest option.
However, Apple TV users haven't been able to take advantage of this plan. Netflix does not allow them to subscribe to the cheaper ad-based plan, which means they must subscribe to one of the more expensive options - Standard or Premium - if they want to watch on their Apple TV devices.
Read Also: Google To Develop Free Internal Video Blurring Tool Called Magritte
No Comment has been Given by Netflix Regarding Their Decision on the New Ad-Based Plan Being Unavailable in Its tvOS App
So far, Netflix has not addressed this issue and explained why the new ad-based plan is unavailable in its tvOS app. Is this a plot to drive more people away from the cheaper option and keep them hooked onto more expensive plans?
The answer is not known for sure until Netflix addresses this issue. In the meantime, it may be in customers' best interest to keep an eye on these new developments and decide whether this is the right plan for them.
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