Netflix quietly axes its basic plan in Canada : canada

[-] GenericUser@lemmy.ca 24 points 1 year ago

This is what happens when you don't push back against corporations. They cracked down on password sharing and signed up more users. They know that this change will force everyone into a higher tier with little to know effective pushback. I gave up my Netflix account a while ago, mostly due to a lack of good entertainment. When there is a show I want to watch I purchase a gift card and create an account for the duration it takes me to watch the season of that show, the rest of the time they get no money from me. The only way to make a corporation take you seriously is to affect their profit margin. Other than that anything and everything you do or say is just noise.

[-] tal@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This is what happens when you don’t push back against corporations.

I don't feel like what Netflix did is unreasonable, as it's described in the article. It says that anyone who already has the plan can continue with it. They just aren't offering it to new users.

If someone made a decision to go with Netflix based on what was on offer, it sounds like that's not being taken away or anything.

They didn't lure in users with one service and the expectation that the service would continue to be available and then try to pressure them to get something else instead.

[-] GenericUser@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Ok so they're taking away a lower priced option for...what reason again?

[-] Harpuajim@lemmy.fmhy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

Is it cheaper to get the gift card rather than just sign up for a month and then cancel?

[-] GenericUser@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

To be 100% honest it's probably a few bucks more expensive because of the amounts the gift cards come in doesn't exactly line up with their monthly plan. The reason I do that is to keep my credit card info out of their hands and to prevent there being a month on my credit card that I didn't want due to me forgetting to cancel in time. The part about the credit card info being in their hands is because I watch a lot of security and privacy blogs and I hear more and more about data breaches (note I am not singling Netflix out for poor security) and tracking, but also data on users being sold as a secondary revenue source. When I sign up with a gift card I user a service like simple login to create an email alias (check out their free tier) which redirects to my normal email. So no user data to sell. Typing this out I realize this is not an option (affordable or convenience) for everyone so using your regular credit card and cancelling in between series would next best option.

[-] Baku@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

When there is a show I want to watch I purchase a gift card and create an account for the duration it takes me to watch the season of that show

This is what I do these days too. I used to keep it around even when I only opened it like once a week, but these days I only sign up for a month here and there when I'm sick or just want convenient access to something. The rest of the time the high seas are fairly appealing

[-] GenericUser@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Ahhrrrrr

[-] thayer@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 year ago

I not so quietly axed all of my streaming services last year (Amazon bore the brunt of my dissatisfaction).

IPTV, a self-made Kodi collection, and the local library are all that we use now. Much happier all around, and zero ads.

[-] chainsawrobot@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Whats your preferred method for IPTV?

[-] thayer@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago

I have pretty simple needs when it comes to television and just use the officially-supported IPTV Simple Client to watch legitimately free channels, like mainstream CBC, and news networks. Everything else we watch is my from own library, or from the public library.

[-] ItsaB3AR@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago

I got rid of Netflix when they said my bill would be $20 a month and I rarely used it. I just find other ways to find shows and load up my Plex server. Sometimes have to wait for blu ray releases but I have a long enough watch list to keep me going.

[-] melonpunk@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Same. I realised I'd been paying for months and barely watched it. So I canceled (Maybe 2 years ago). I've maybe downloaded two shows that I would have missed since then and one of those I gave up on--Black Mirror S6, the other was Midnight Mass.

[-] DoctorTYVM@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Netflix went from being a staple in my house, to being turned on for a month then shut off again. I can wait to watch some shows. They're just not worth keeping signed up for full time

[+] d6q4jlsk@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

[deleted]

[-] itchy_lizard@feddit.it 2 points 1 year ago

qBittorrent does streaming now?

[-] Pons_Aelius@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

You can replace all of that with Jellyfin, Radarr, Sonarr, Lidarr, Jackett, qBittorrent, and SABnzbd.

Or you can just go to a private streaming site and watch immediately without having to do anything with torrents.

[-] Wenchette@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Like flixtor

[-] crazycanadianloon@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago

Fine by us, we already cancelled when they wouldn't allow sharing between different house holds

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

Cancelled months ago.

It's 2023 and large companies are still trying to find ways to get long-term, paying customers to cancel and not look back.

Oh well, saves me ~~$20~~ ~~$22~~ $24 a month!

[-] dom@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

Netflix has mobile games? Saw that listed in the feature list

[-] BrikoX@vlemmy.net 3 points 1 year ago

Yeah, their side project to keep you in their app longer.

[-] sadreality@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

[removed by mod]

[-] sentient_loom@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Cable costs more than that and still gives you tons of ads. I'm fine with the price.

[-] kevincox@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Very few people consider cable a great demonstration of value.

Most people I talk to only really have cable because it is the best way to get a variety of sports. Most leagues now have a streaming option but they are still quite expensive so probably not worth it if you are interested in 3 or more different sports.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 1 points 1 year ago

We’d be off cable entirely if not for sports and CTV Sci-fi channel that still carries a few shows we can’t get elsewhere.

[-] kevincox@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Very few people consider cable a great demonstration of value.

Most people I talk to only really have cable because it is the best way to get a variety of sports. Most leagues now have a streaming option but they are still quite expensive so probably not worth it if you are interested in 3 or more different sports.

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