Netflix defies expectations; to throw UK users off ad-free Basic plan

Netflix remains resilient against price rises and password sharing crackdowns as streaming giant gains more new customers than expected.

• As of the end of 2023, Netflix had 260.28 million subscribers globally.
• Current ad-free Netflix Basic subscribers in the UK will be pushed to another tier.

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Rival streaming companies battle to gain ground, with various rumours of mergers and bundling ongoing.

But Netflix defied analyst’s expectations this week when it announced a 13.1 million jump in the number of active subscribers worldwide. The figure, which includes the three months leading up to Christmas, also includes the period when the final episodes of The Crown were dropped on to the service.

Netflix enters the new year with 260.28 million subscribers, still ahead of next nearest streaming rival Disney+, which has 150 million subscribers (November 2023, most recent data). The company had seen growth stall as lockdowns ended and inflationary costs hit households.

Netflix abolishes ad-free Basics

After price rises and password sharing crackdowns failed to dent Netflix’s performance in 2023, the company is now confident it can push legacy ad-free Basic subscribers to an alternative price tier.

The original Netflix Basic plan ceased to be available to new customers in mid-2023, but customers currently still subscribing to Basic will soon be moved on.

Netflix confirmed today that Basics will be axed in the UK, followed by other global markets.

The entry-level alternative to Basics is Basic with Ads.

Alternatively, Netflix offers Standard or Premium tiers to remain ad-free.

At the present time, it’s unknown how existing ad-free Basic customers will be migrated. Last year, Disney+ ‘upgraded’ most of its customers automatically to a more expensive tier. It wasn’t able to do that in some countries, due to consumer protection laws.

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Marc Thornham