Canadians Are Getting Real About Cancelling Netflix & Here's What They're Switching To

It comes after Netflix cracked down on password sharing in Canada.

Associate Editor
A TV screen with Netflix.

A TV screen with Netflix.

Netflix Canada has been in hot water with some Canadians ever since it started cracking down on password sharing earlier this year.

To make matters worse, the end of February saw a bunch of beloved Canadian shows leave the service — including Schitt's Creek and Kim's Convenience — all of which got some Canucks talking about Netflix alternatives to try in Canada.

And, according to one Reddit post, it looks like many people were serious about switching to other streaming services.

On the Reddit thread r/AskACanadian, someone recently posed the question "So it's been a couple of weeks. How many people cancelled their Netflix subscription?"

The post received an overwhelming response, attracting over 250 comments in less than two days.

"Between my girlfriend and my parents/sibling, we've cancelled two Netflix accounts. Until this whole password sharing shakedown, we were content/lazy enough to keep paying for the two accounts, so good on Netflix for saving us some money?" the original post explained.

They're apparently not the only ones, if the responses are to be believed, because a lot of Reddit users piled on and shared their own Netflix cancellation stories.

"My husband and I cancelled our Netflix accounts months ago. We haven’t missed it at all," one person agreed.

"Had a subscription for years despite barely using it myself. Netflix is so out of touch they really had no idea how many people probably existed like I did," another comment read.

"Cancelled last month once I got the email about the crackdown on sharing. Starting to get Netflix ads on YouTube now, they want me back so bad," a third commenter claimed.

Many also shared the alternative streaming services they've forked out for instead, and it's clear that Canadians have a lot of options out there.

"I cancelled. I got Prime. Not as good, but comes with free shipping on Amazon and significantly cheaper," one Redditor explained, with many others agreeing that it was a good option.

"You get free games every week and free things for online games, if you're into it. Also, they have Kindle book free to read and unlimited storage for photos," one comment piled on.

Amazon Prime isn't the only streaming service getting a little love in Canada.

"I did [cancel Netflix]. Our family ended up liking Crave better anyway," another Redditor added.

"My stepmother was paying for Netflix while I was paying for Disney+. We cancelled both of them and they're not missed," another said, adding that they started a subscription with TOU.TV to watch local shows instead.

"Cancelled Netflix but my sister pays for Disney+, my parents pay for Paramount and I pay for Crave. Between the three households we have plenty to watch," another Redditor stated.

Even more niche streaming services like Shudder and Pluto TV got a mention.

However, not everyone is ready to say goodbye to Netflix just yet.

"Kept mine, I still quite enjoy it and I’m the only one in my household using it anyway," one Redditor said.

Many others said they are still on Netflix because they are streaming a particular show or series, but have plans to cancel after they've finished it.

"We pay one subscription and we are 4 people in the house, so it's still valuable. But we usually have only one streaming service at a time and we don't have cable. When I'm done watching what I want, I switch to another service for 6-12 months," read one comment that was upvoted over 40 times.

"Same. I bounce from sub to sub," another agreed, referring to subscription services.

If all these comments are to be believed, jumping streaming sites in Canada may just be the law of the land going forward.

If you do decide to stick it out with Netflix, you can find the latest list of new shows and movies dropping here.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

Janice Rodrigues
Associate Editor
Janice Rodrigues was an Associate Editor for Narcity Media focused on Canadian immigration and passports, and is based in Scarborough, Ontario.
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