Netflix has removed the option for potential subscribers in the United States to test the service with a free trial, the company confirmed to The Verge.
The company started phasing out the option for US-based subscribers this month, but has spent the last couple of years phasing out the option in a number of countries around the world. To replace the free trial, Netflix is introducing new ways to try and attract potential subscribers, including posting some educational content on YouTube for free and other forms of content sampling.
“We’re looking at different marketing promotions in the US to attract new members,” a Netflix spokesperson told The Verge.
With the free trial offer gone, Netflix is going to test even more forms of content sampling promotions for people within the United States. Recently, Netflix launched a portal to watch a number of episodes from its top series for free. Netflix also made one of its films, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, available to watch without a Netflix subscription.
Netflix’s decision to cancel its free trial comes at a time when other streaming services are leaning heavily on trials to build their initial subscriber bases. Apple just extended the initial free period for Apple TV Plus subscribers by three months to February 2021, while services like Quibi and Disney Plus launched while touting free trials.
For Netflix, the company is exploring other ways to try and build out that subscriber base. Those experiments will continue into 2021.
