Netflix will implement the change in Canada and the U.K. in the second quarter of the year before “taking it from there,” the letter said.

The company did not specify when (or whether) the change would impact U.S. subscribers.

  • ZeroCool@slrpnk.netOP
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    62
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    …And the enshittification era of streaming services continues unabated.

    • lurch (he/him)@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      10 months ago

      In theory, that would be the time for someone to step up and make their own streaming service with blackjack and hookers, but no ads.

      • 14th_cylon@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        25
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        that theory doesn’t really work here, because you don’t have what they have.

        if someone makes bread, you can also start making bread and people don’t care, it is still a bread.

        if someone has and sells game of thrones, you can’t just make your own game of thrones with blackjack and hookers. you can make something similar, but it is not going to be the same and some people will still want to see game of thrones, which is why the market is so fragmented.

        • Enk1@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          5
          ·
          10 months ago

          Most streaming content is licensed, not owned by the streaming platform. Anyone could start their own streaming service and get licenses for existing content, assuming they had the capital to do so.

          • 14th_cylon@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            12
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            10 months ago

            That is increasingly not true, which is why there is so many different platforms - every rights owner rather starts their own platform, than licensing to someone else and sharing the profit.

            • bassomitron@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              10 months ago

              And even if they’re willing to license, it’s usually at an exorbitant cost that it’s unsustainable at prices people are willing to pay for your platform. Netflix had said Friends was costing them tens of millions of dollars to keep on their platform: https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/netflix-friends-100-million-streaming-tv/

              When a rumor began circulating in December 2018 that ’90s sitcom Friends would not be available on Netflix after this year, the notion seemed to wake a sleeping giant, with subscriber uproar quickly leading to a deal that reportedly cost the streaming service $100 million to retain the popular show through 2019.

              $100 million for one year. Insanity.

  • twinnie@feddit.uk
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    10 months ago

    And now Prime is doing the same, and Disney wants to tackle password sharing. If everyone had just cancelled Netflix when they started this shit we’d be paying $5 per month and we’d be sharing passwords on all of our streaming services.

    • 𝐘Ⓞz҉@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      10 months ago

      People are not that smart. Can’t work collectively which is great for capitalism.

      Example: 9-5s collectively are way too important for economy , without them economy would not function but individually they are not important and easily replaceable. Hence they teach you not to discuss salary, create hierarchy, fancy job titles etc.

    • JCreazy@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      10 months ago

      I canceled my Prime subscription when they announced they were going to put ads in prime video. I don’t even use Prime Video. It’s the principle.

  • cammelspit@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    10 months ago

    Not surprised really. Netflix was part of my cellphone plan, when I switched plans, I just couldn’t rationalize it anymore. I remember as a young working teenager loving how I could just mail those DVDs back and forth. I’ve never not had a Netflix since they first launched. Feels odd really, but ultimately I just can’t abide their shenanigans.

  • Nora@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    10 months ago

    Setup a jellyfin server for me, friend and family and I haven’t look back.

    • Fades@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      10 months ago

      Same, invested in a nice QNAP NAS and I haven’t thought about a single streaming service in years

  • phx@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    10 months ago

    Why is Canada anyways first in line to get assf***Ed?!

    • ripcord@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      10 months ago

      Sadly it ends up being a fairly good test market for the US.

      Some good stuff starts in Canada as a result, too.

  • tranceFusion@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    10 months ago

    I’m in the US and I only have Standard as an option in my account. Is that the same as Basic or did they get rid of it here already?

    • ZeroCool@slrpnk.netOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      10 months ago

      Yeah that’s an option but it’s not going to be a practical solution for everyone. Most people on Lemmy are more tech savvy than average so they’ll be fine but there are plenty of people who lack the knowledge and skill. And that sucks because people have shown repeatedly that they are more than willing to pay a reasonable rate for the content they want. But these greedy fucks decided they all needed their own service. So now content is fractured across a dozen different apps that are only getting more expensive and ad riddled.

      It just plain sucks that your options are either piracy or being constantly fucked over to benefit shareholders.

      • IWantToFuckSpez@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        At some point, when prices get too high, people will seek out someone who can help them pirate. Like I’ve already installed Kodi and Stremio with an Alldebrid account on a TV or Android box for many of my friends

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Netflix users in some countries will soon have to pay more to watch TV and movies without advertisements.

    In a shareholder letter from Tuesday, the streaming service said it’s looking to “retire” its cheapest ad-free plan in “some of our ads countries.”

    Netflix will implement the change in Canada and the U.K. in the second quarter of the year before “taking it from there,” the letter said.

    Last year, Netflix stopped allowing new and returning subscribers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada to select its basic plan.

    American subscribers who were grandfathered into Netflix’s basic plan saw a price hike last year after Netflix raised that plan’s price from $9.99 to $11.99 a month.

    The video streaming service also started a crackdown on password sharing last year.


    The original article contains 302 words, the summary contains 125 words. Saved 59%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!