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Netflix is no longer offering free trials to new subscribers in the US. The streaming juggernaut has new plans in place to try and attract potential subscribers. “We’re looking at different marketing promotions in the US to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience,” a company spokesperson told Variety.
Netflix already has a free portal that offers a select number of movies and episodes anyone can watch without needing a subscription. This portal was launched earlier in August. The company also recently started offering some educational content on YouTube for free. With its free trial offer coming to an end in the US, Netflix may now come up with some other forms of content sampling as well. These experiments will likely continue into next year.
This move isn’t entirely new though. Netflix began phasing out free trial offers globally some two years back. Starting in Mexico, the company has pulled the plug on this promotional offer in several other countries since then. The US is the latest victim of this strategic change, with the offer ending earlier this month. Meanwhile, it continues to offer limited-time free trials to new subscribers in some countries such as South Korea.
Netflix ends free trials in the US
Netflix, which is nearing 200 million subscribers globally, previously offered up to 30 days of free trials to new subscribers in the US. Users were not charged a single penny during this period and they could cancel the subscription any time. However, the company is no longer offering this generosity stateside.
A Netflix help page touts the company’s “no contracts, no cancellation fees, and no commitments” policy to lure new subscribers. “You have the freedom to change your plan or cancel online at any time if you decide Netflix isn’t for you.”
Interestingly, the help page doesn’t point users to Netflix’s existing free services for content sampling. “Our plans give you access to our full catalog of TV shows and movies. Choose a plan that works for you and sign up for Netflix!”
Netflix isn’t the only streaming service to cease free-trial promotions in the US. Disney+ also ended its free trial subscriptions in June this year. Amazon continues to offer a month’s worth of free watching to new Prime subscribers. WarnerMedia’s HBO Max currently offers a seven-day free trial. ViacomCBS’s CBS All Access and Showtime services also offer varying week-long free trial periods and so do Hulu’s ad-supported, ad-free, and Hulu + Live TV services.