Netflix Raises Prices Again

Netflix announced it was raising the price of its subscription streaming service by $1 to $2 per month depending on the plan. The price increases impact customers in the U.S. and Canada.

“These prices apply to new members and will gradually take effect for all current members. Current members will receive an email notification 30 days before their price changes, unless they change their plan,” a Netflix statement explains.

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The price of Netflix Basic, which provides unlimited access to the service’s movies and TV shows on one screen at a time, with downloads to one mobile device at a time, and in SD (standard definition) quality, is going up by $1 in the U.S., to $9.99 per month.

Netflix Standard, which provides access and downloads on two screens/devices and adds HD quality streaming, is going up by $1.50 to $15.49.

And Netflix Premium, which provides access and downloads on four screens/devices and adds Ultra HD (4K) streaming, is going up by $2 to $19.99.

This is the third price hike in as many years. But according to Netflix, it’s raising prices so it can continue to maintain its vast content advantage over rivals like Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+.

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Conversation 32 comments

  • mattbg

    Premium Member
    14 January, 2022 - 5:38 pm

    <p>They do seem to be growing into their pricing from my perspective. There was a time when I wouldn’t subscribe to Netflix for very long because I didn’t think it was worth the money, but within the last year or so I am finding more that I am more inclined to watch and I do feel like I am getting decent value each month, which wasn’t true a couple of years ago.</p><p><br></p><p>As long as I can always cancel via the web as needed, I’ll probably be subscribed more often than not.</p>

    • navarac

      15 January, 2022 - 3:53 am

      <p><em>"…growing into their pricing …"</em></p><p><br></p><p>What? More gobbledegook crap speak. Do you work for Microsoft? Say what you mean, raising prices!</p>

      • mattbg

        Premium Member
        15 January, 2022 - 9:07 am

        <p>Well, that’s kind of rude, but… all I meant is that I used to perceive their pricing as high but it is starting to look more like fair value. The volume of content that is of interest to me is now sufficient to justify the price to me. That’s all I meant.</p><p><br></p>

        • navarac

          15 January, 2022 - 3:33 pm

          <p>@Mattbg Wasn’t meant to be rude, sorry. It’s just that meaningless buzzspeak gets to me.</p>

  • jchampeau

    Premium Member
    14 January, 2022 - 5:49 pm

    <p>It wasn’t <em>that</em> long ago that I paid $100+ per month for a digital cable package with DVR with which came no downloads, no whole-season-at-once access for binge-watching, and no accessing recorded content from multiple screens.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      15 January, 2022 - 4:59 am

      <p>In Germany, it is the other way round, it wasn’t that long ago, that the media license (TV, radio and Internet media) cost 100€ a year. </p><p>That includes over 50 channels, most in HD or some in 4K. </p><p><br></p><p>There have been cable and satellite subscription services, but few people I know ever paid for them. </p><p><br></p><p>Streaming Subscription services are relatively new and a lot of people still ask: If I have over 50 channels to choose from and things like Game of Thrones are shown on free TV, do I really need a subscription service?</p><p><br></p><p>We have Amazon Prime Video, purely because we have Prime for next day delivery.</p><p><br></p><p>I have free Apple TV+ at the moment and I could get 3 months free Disney + with my new phone contact, but I haven’t enabled it yet, because I just don’t seem to have the time or interest to watch much TV at the moment. </p><p><br></p><p>I did watch Foundation on Apple, but the rest isn’t really that interesting to me, at the moment, with a lot of it being US focused content, like Ted Lasso or The Morning Show. </p><p><br></p><p>The seems to be a lack of local content, something which Prime does seem to do better, with some German originals and a lot of French and British series available. </p>

      • Dan

        15 January, 2022 - 9:09 am

        <p>I have to say, I do appreciate your non-US comments and how society is different in Germany. Thanks!</p>

      • cnc123

        15 January, 2022 - 10:08 pm

        <p>For what it’s worth, Ted Lasso is as British as it is American, besides being very good. </p>

  • lezmaka

    Premium Member
    14 January, 2022 - 6:02 pm

    <p>I mean it makes sense if you think about it for a second. All the other services Paul listed are either owned by a major media company with tons of content <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">built-in </span>or are part of a trillion-dollar company.</p>

    • mattbg

      Premium Member
      16 January, 2022 - 10:21 am

      <p>Agree – and none of those companies intend to keep prices as low as they are. It’s necessary to gain subscribers, and Netflix is everyone’s reference point for the value proposition. As Netflix gets more expensive, so will the others.</p><p><br></p><p>Once their growth starts to level off, Netflix will come under pressure to profit, at which point we’ll see what it really costs to justify their business. That’s when I assume we’ll ads start to appear, as well as more tiers.</p><p><br></p><p>Aside from all this, I am fine for these companies to have regular price increases if that’s what they need to do. I would much rather this than for them to hit a wall and realize that they need to start introducing gimmicks to cover inflation. That is most of us are complaining about happening with Windows.</p><p><br></p><p>And, anyone who wants their own salary to go up; or for people to be paid a living wage; or even a higher minimum wage has to accept price increases. How else are those things going to come about?</p>

  • j5

    Premium Member
    14 January, 2022 - 6:05 pm

    <p>Out of all the steaming services I subscribe to, Netflix gets the move viewing time in our household from out little kids to, teens, and us parents. I’d cancel everything else but Netflix because they have something for everyone. I subscribe to their 4 screen plan because everyone watches it so much. So if ol Dad cancelled it or downgraded the wife on down would be upset lol. </p>

  • chrisltd

    14 January, 2022 - 10:16 pm

    <p>If I could only subscribe to one streaming service it would be HBO Max, but Netflix is a close second.</p><p><br></p><p>HBO Max has the best “must watch” content in terms of original shows and top rated movies.</p><p><br></p><p>Netflix is the better service for a seemingly unlimited amount of decent stuff to kill time.</p>

  • colin79666

    Premium Member
    15 January, 2022 - 3:50 am

    <p>It’s high time the basic package gave 1080p. SD isn’t acceptable in 2022 IMO. Loads of people don’t require multiple streams at a time. </p>

    • digiguy

      Premium Member
      15 January, 2022 - 5:00 am

      <p>it’s high time the mid tier gave 1080p…. HD is 720p…. only premium gives 1080p and more if supported</p>

    • Dan

      15 January, 2022 - 9:12 am

      <p>I’d bet they keep it at 720p for people who only view via mobile. Some companies restrict mobile streaming to 720p. No reason to pay more for something you can’t see. And this plan may be the one they also give out for ‘free’ with their mobile plans as well.</p>

  • egab

    15 January, 2022 - 5:45 am

    <p>My kids uses that, so I’m locked in, but with each passing day I hate this service more and more. Horrible apps, idiotic algorithm and low quality original content. Either it’s another documentary about a real crime or a stand up special that’s not that funny.</p><p><br></p><p>and they’re losing My Little Pony in two weeks.</p>

  • me

    15 January, 2022 - 8:09 am

    <p>Seems like most companies have their own premium and free streaming services now (peacock, paramount, etc) and it makes me wonder if these price hikes are because they’re demanding more money from netflix to keep the content available, and not just be exclusive to their own services. </p>

  • datameister

    15 January, 2022 - 1:55 pm

    <p>During their last price hike I changed my payments to them from paying $156 a year to paying only $40 per year. So instead of gaining an extra $12 a year from me they lost over $100. I wonder how many more people will do the same with this price hike.</p>

  • Saarek

    15 January, 2022 - 4:05 pm

    <p>Hmmmm, assuming they follow this in the U.K. I think I’ll stop using Netflix. Don’t use it enough to justify another price increase, especially as you have to be in the higher pricing tiers for 4K/HDR content.</p><p><br></p><p>I tend to watch far more on Peacock TV or Hulu (use a Smart DNS on my Apple TV).</p><p><br></p>

  • JH_Radio

    Premium Member
    15 January, 2022 - 6:38 pm

    <p>Actually. the basic unlimited limits to 480P a lot.</p>

  • waethorn

    15 January, 2022 - 8:01 pm

    <p>Netflix is crap now. There’s not a single original program that isn’t pushing their LGBWTFFJB agenda now. Thanks, OBiden!</p>

    • cnc123

      15 January, 2022 - 10:17 pm

      <p>You sound worried about getting converted. Hot mailman? </p>

      • waethorn

        16 January, 2022 - 3:49 am

        <p>Big Mouth is paedo porn for infantilized adults.</p>

    • Bhtpoc

      Premium Member
      17 January, 2022 - 3:25 am

      <p>Anything is better than the orange clown you fool!</p>

      • waethorn

        17 January, 2022 - 11:28 pm

        <p>Everybody pumping gas would beg to differ.</p>

        • Bhtpoc

          Premium Member
          20 January, 2022 - 12:39 am

          <p>I pump my own gas.</p>

    • camelot5

      18 January, 2022 - 9:48 am

      <p>For what it’s worth- gas prices have nothing to do with Biden (or any other president) and are rising around the world equally. It is free enterprise, after all.</p><p><br></p><p>All nations are facing unprecedented inflation due to the virus response.</p>

  • Maverick010

    16 January, 2022 - 8:45 pm

    <p>Netflix is on the straw of being the first streaming service I cut. I have Hulu Live with no adds, Disney+, ESPN Bundle, HBO Max (free with my AT&amp;T Elite plan), Paramount+, Amazon Prime, Funimation Now, and Crunchyroll as my services, and the other platforms are beginning to grow and not changing their plans significantly with a blink of an eye. Part of that is possibly due to each of the other services are media companies and have their own studios and owned backlog of content, or are buying up content, but they are also creating new content that folks actually really want, and mainly carrying them for 3-4 seasons at minimal and not canceling after 1-2 seasons but still increasing pricing. They raise one more time after this, I may just completely drop them, as I am on the fence now….ok end rant.</p>

  • derekabraham

    16 January, 2022 - 10:49 pm

    <p>They have reduced their pricing in markets like India and are trying to recoup it from US market. This is not going to go very well.</p>

  • rm

    17 January, 2022 - 9:07 am

    <p>I find all the Neflix original action movies that they trumpet as great movies to just be of B movie quality. I find better movies else where. I am starting to keep an eye on what we actually watch on Netflix to see if it is worth it any more. The Netflix DVD service used to have all the good and new releases and they were never available to stream. I don’t they are available to stream still because the movies in theaters are not produced by Netflix. I am thinking Neflix is slowly dying.</p>

  • mike2thel73

    17 January, 2022 - 5:20 pm

    <p>Netflix = quantity over quality.</p><p><br></p><p>They cancel shows way too quickly. I left Netflix 3 years ago and have not looked back. When they started raising their prices every year or every 2 years &amp; with them cancelling most of the shows that I liked before they ran their course, it got to a point where it wasn’t worth it anymore. The service was at its best when they were starting their original programming and they still were paying for good major movies.</p>

  • camelot5

    18 January, 2022 - 9:54 am

    <p>There’s nothing forcing you into a contract with Netflix. You can rotate your subs. Opt in for a month or two, then bail when you’ve watched what you want to watch.</p><p><br></p><p>By the way, Disney+ also raised theirs, and Amazon Prime is no stranger to price increases as well. </p>

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