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Netflix Testing New 'Ultra' Tier of Service That Cuts Premium Plan Streams From Four to Two

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Netflix is reportedly testing a new tier of service for subscribers that supersedes the existing top tier Premium plan, according to Italian blog Tutto Android.

Titled "Ultra", the new plan would allow up to four devices to receive Ultra HD and HDR video, and audio streaming at the same time. In Italy, the tier is priced at 16.99 euros, or approximately $19.80.

netflix-ultra-price-plan.jpg
Image credit: Evan Davis​

Netflix has three subscription plans at present: Basic ($7.99), Standard ($10.99), and Premium ($13.99). Basic subscribers can watch Netflix on one screen at a time, Standard enables simultaneous viewing on two screens, and Premium allows up to four screens to be used at once to stream the service.

Commenting on the story, Netflix provided CNET with the following statement:
"We continuously test new things at Netflix and these tests typically vary in length of time," Smita Saran, a Netflix spokeswoman, said in an email. "In this case, we are testing slightly different price points and features to better understand how consumers value Netflix."
Click to expand...
Saran went on to say that not all Netflix subscribers would see the Ultra tier currently being tested, and the company many never offer the plan and its features to a wider base.

Promotional screens suggests that HDR would be exclusive to the Ultra plan, while the above screenshot implies that the number of simultaneous streams for existing Premium users would get reduced from four to two, with only Ultra subscribers getting four at the higher price. Similarly, users on the Standard plan appear to be getting only one stream instead of the usual two.

If the Ultra tier was ever to be officially adopted, it would essentially mean existing Premium users having to pay around $6 more for the same level of service they're used to.

Netflix has increased the price of its subscription plans in the past. Back in November the company hiked its Standard plan by $1 and its top Premium plan by $2.

Article Link: Netflix Testing New 'Ultra' Tier of Service That Cuts Premium Plan Streams From Four to Two
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/07/04/netflix-testing-new-ultra-tier-of-service/
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Enclavean said:
So.... raising the prices?

Good luck with that, especially when they loose Disney/Fox content when they launch their own streaming service.
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Yes, it will be interesting to see how losing this content this affects their memberships. I don't know what percentage of people signed up for Netflix because they added Disney/Fox content, but I don't think losing this content will really negatively impact their subscriber numbers.
 
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If they go through with this I’ll never subscribe to more than basic. The price differences are not close enough to tempt me to pay more.
 
"We continuously test new ways to hike prices at Netflix and these tests typically vary in decreases of service," Smita Saran, a Netflix spokeswoman, said in an email. "In this case, we are testing halving services and features to better understand how consumers get ripped off by Netflix."

I fixed your quote MR.
 
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RomanEmpire said:
what the article doesn‘t mention is that „ultra“ will offer 4K HDR and 4 simultaneous streams.

here‘s the whole overview (thanks @cordcutting):

netflix-ultra-plan-16-99.png
Click to expand...

This graph shows that the premium plan will keep the 4 simultaneous streams. The graph on the article showed 2.

Other websites with this article are also showing 4. I wonder where macrumors got this. Anyways, I hope it is 4 as in my household we use 3 and I don't want to pay more.
 
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Getting harder to justify keeping the Netflix 4k with this lot. Streaming quality is OK but nothing to write home about. The app for my TV is useless for HDR anyway.

Time to downgrade.

And finding it harder to justify keeping it. Maybe see what happens when I cease subs.
 
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javisan said:
This graph shows that the premium plan will keep the 4 simultaneous streams. The graph on the article showed 2.

Other websites with this article are also showing 4. I wonder where macrumors got this. Anyways, I hope it is 4 as in my household we use 3 and I don't want to pay more.
Click to expand...

I found my answer on another website. It seems like they are testing various versions of the new plans:

For some people, the offer left all other plans the same, while for others, it reduced the Premium plan's streaming to a maximum of two devices at once and removed the option for HDR, while dropping the Standard HD-only plan to a single stream. The new Ultra tier consistently offered 4K with HDR and a maximum of four streams.

In other words, they are still figuring out how many benefits to remove from lower tiers to entice customers to pay more on the higher tiers.
 
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Well, they may loose some subscribers over this. We will keep it, still cheaper than others. After all, Netflix is there to make money! Hopefully the service they provide in return is worth it.
 
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Look no one likes price increases but let’s be serious here people. You all want original content, that comes at a cost. Price increases happen. If you don’t like it, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Netflix won’t notice you’re gone.
 
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