Netflix Yanks Basic Ad-Free Plan, Nudging Users To Ad-Supported Tier

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Following BBC presenter Arielle Free's suspension after an awkward exchange with her colleague, Charlie Hedges, her replacement has been revealed. The Radio 1 presenter will be off the air this week following an incident that saw her criticise music during a live broadcast. Appearing briefly on Charlie’s Dance Anthems Ibiza show on Saturday (29 July), Arielle told the broadcaster: "Can I be honest with you?...

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for series “Guns & Gulaabs,” starring Dulquer Salmaan (“Chup”) and Rajkummar Rao (“Bheed”). The series is created by India-based filmmaking duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. – popularly known as Raj & DK – as part of a multi-year creative partnership with Netflix under their D2R Films banner.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Arielle Free has been taken off air after clashing with her colleague over the choice of music during a live broadcast in Ibiza.Free made a brief appearance on Charlie Hedges’ Dance Anthems Ibiza show on Sunday (July 30) but was cut off for saying she didn’t like a song he was playing.After she was introducted, she told Hedges, who was playing ‘My Barn, My Rules’ by Stream MCR-T and horsegiirL: “Can I be honest with you Charlie? I expected better of you. I don’t like this song…I hate it.” As she began to further criticise the song’s lyrics, Hedges turned her mic down.

The trailer for Josh Hutcherson and Morgan Freeman‘s new action thriller has been released!

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Bethenny Frankel has enlisted two of the most high-profile attorneys in Hollywood to help in her self-proclaimed fight to help protect reality stars from what she says is exploitation by networks and studios. Power players Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos are now working alongside Frankel to investigate the treatment of reality stars. Freedman tells me that he has heard from roughly 50 reality show cast members from various docuseries and competition shows who believe that they were “used and unfairly” treated by television networks and streamers.

Billy Ray is back for the 13th installment of Deadline Strike Talk, the weekly podcast that began at the start of the Writers Guild strike against AMPTP. With writers and actors petrified at the job cutting and ecosystem-destroying potential of AI, Ray re-engages the technology in conversation, as he did in his week seven podcast. But this time, with a new twist.

Netflix has sparked an outcry by listing a vacancy for a new $900,000-a-year product manager role for their AI Machine Learning programme in the midst of the SAG-AFTRA strike.The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) union went on strike earlier this month, after negotiations broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over streaming residuals and safeguards against AI technology.According to the job description, the Product Manager position will focus on “increasing the leverage of our Machine Learning Platform.” The MLP is Netflix’s in-house AI program, which has traditionally been used to power the streamer’s algorithmic recommendations. Per Netflix’s research page, the company is now making more use of the program to “optimise” film and TV production, although it’s not clear how they plan to do so.We all know one of the biggest issues both of the striking guilds, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, have with AMPTP’s offer for a new contract is a lack of protection against and regulation of AI.

Tyler Baltierra is the latest star to join OnlyFans.

Teen Mom fans can thirst over Tyler Baltierra’s body transformation on OnlyFans — but it is all PG.

Tyler Baltierra is putting those new muscles to good use!

Tyler Baltierra is proud of his progress. The 31-year-old star took to Instagram earlier this week to show off a year of hard work at the gym.

Tyler Baltierra‘s time at the gym has clearly been paying off!

Blac Chyna is letting it all hang out — only there’s not much left to hang out!

Tyler Baltierra is celebrating some massive gains!

The Gray House, a Civil War spy drama series that is being produced by Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman, is the latest high-profile project to land an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA.

As the opening credits begin in “Cobweb,” eagle-eyed audience members might notice the appearance of the Point Grey production company. This is the company formed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, a studio known for its smart, incredibly popular comedy films and TV series.

Netflix has dropped its cheapest ad-free plan in the US and UK.After it was first phased out in Canada last month, the basic ad-free tier which cost £6.99 in the UK and $9.99 in the US is no longer available in both countries for new and rejoining members.Those who are currently subscribed to the plan however will be able to keep the subscription, as long as you don’t cancel or change plans.In the company’s earnings call report posted on Wednesday (July 19), Netflix wrote: “In Q1, we lowered prices in a number of less penetrated markets, and in Q2, we phased out our Basic ads-free plans for new and rejoining members in Canada (existing members on the Basic ads-free plan are unaffected). We’re now doing the same in the US and the UK.“We believe our entry prices in these countries – $6.99 in the US, £4.99 in the UK and $5.99 in Canada – provide great value to consumers given the breadth and quality of our catalogue.”With the removal of the basic ad-free plan, Netflix now offers three subscription tiers; the £4.99/$6.99 per month ad-supported plan, the £10.99/£15.49 ad-free standard plan, and the £15.99/$19.99 per month premium tier which supports improved video quality.In the same report, Netflix said it saw the addition of 5.9million subscribers globally since March, following the streaming service’s crackdown on password sharing between households.

a crackdown on password sharing, which led to a huge subscription spike — presumably as freeloaders found themselves locked out.Unlike other services, Netflix did not show commercials until late 2022, when it began trialing an ad-supported plan. A recent report stated that just 5 million users had signed up for the option globally.

Netflix has removed its Basic Ad-Free tier for subscribers in the U.S. and U.K. The plan, which previously cost $9.99 (£6.99) a month, was the streamer’s lowest cost ad-free option but was limited to 720p resolution and only had the ability to stream on a single device.The option can no longer be found on the streaming service, and a note on Netflix’s Plans and Pricing page reads, “The Basic plan is no longer available for new or rejoining members.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix is no longer offering its cheapest streaming plan without ads in the U.S. and the U.K., with the company aiming to push value-conscious consumers to sign up for its advertising-supported package. The Basic plan, which provided a single stream for $9.99/month in the U.S. and £6.99/month in the U.K., is no longer available “for new or rejoining members” in the respective countries. According to Netflix, existing Basic members can “remain on this plan until you change plans or cancel your account.” The elimination of Netflix’s Basic plan is designed to boost customers on the ad-supported Standard With Ads, which the company first launched last November. In May, Netflix said it had signed up more than 5 million members for its ad-supported plans, with 25% of new subs taking the package.