Netflix to Raise Ad-Free Subscription Prices Soon

[Scoob Redux]

Netflix didn't "last raise prices" in early 2022!!
They JUST RAISED prices in MAY 2023 by adding a $7.99 charge per additional user. So, my 4-screen 4K subscription just went from $19.99/mo to $35.97 per month.
Well, it would have, if I hadn't cancelled.

 

[Capeto]

Between this and password sharing crackdowns (I share my account with my parents), I really don't think I'll be renewing if this happens. I might just get a month if/when something interesting comes up but my Plex server will be a nice replacement– just gotta teach my parents to use it.

 

[sw1tcher]

Prices will go up in the United States and Canada first, and it is not yet clear how much more Netflix will charge. Netflix last raised prices at the beginning of 2022, charging $9.99 per month for the Basic plan, $15.49 per month for the Standard plan, and $19.99 per month for the Premium plan.

Netflix has since eliminated the Basic plan and added a Standard with ads plan that is priced at $6.99 per month.

I'll be cancelling (pausing) once the remaining credit balance from the Netflix gift cards I got at a discount runs out which should be the end of this year. I really haven't been able to find anything worth watching lately.

Been spending more time watching Hulu (Only Murders in the Building) and Apple TV+ (The Morning Show, Ted Lasso) lately.

 

[icanhazmac]

Company produces something you want. You’re not willing to pay for it. So it justifies stealing? And people are upvoting you? Shake my head.

Thieves gonna thief, sad but true.

It's sheer laziness, when the new "stranger things" is released you sub for 1 month, consume, cancel, move on to the next service, rinse and repeat.

Or as I said above, some people are just plain thieves.

 

[appleCakes]

They're generating so much content - most of them garbage and many of the better ones simply getting lost in the ocean. They can cut their expenses in half, offer quality work, and maintain competitive pricing. Actually this is the epitome of a job-creation-just-for-sake-of-job-creation culture creep that plagued Twitter/X and many other companies before. They think they can get rewarded by getting bigger in terms of employees and programs. I hope viewership decline and a sizable layoff will take Netflix back to the good place it was at the beginning.

 

[sw1tcher]

They’re pretending like the writers strike is the reason for this when they’ve been struggling with their business model for years lol.

How has Netflix been, in your words, "struggling with their business model for years"? Netflix and Hulu are the only streaming services that have made a profit.

 

[mjs916]

I cancelled Netflix years ago!

I need to do this. If my wife didn’t enjoy hunting for new shows to watch I’d have done so as well. I’m fine with YouTube and Hulu through my cellular plan which are both essentially free.

 

[nt5672]

I'm sorry but I just don't see any content on Netflix to warrant even $5 per month.

 

[coffeemilktea]

I wonder how many people will raise their use of the old Jack Sparrow discount to match Netflix's repeated price raises? 🏴‍☠️

 

[nt5672]

I need to do this. If my wife didn’t enjoy hunting for new shows to watch I’d have done so as well. I’m fine with YouTube and Hulu through my cellular plan which are both essentially free.

There is nothing that is essentially free. You are paying for it, it is just hidden.

 

[missingar]

Company produces something you want. You’re not willing to pay for it. So it justifies stealing? And people are upvoting you? Shake my head.





Netflix is adding more subscribers. No worries.

Give me the downvotes macrumors forum members.

They’re adding subscribers.

I’m curious what Netflix has done for you that has you sticking up for them like they’re a bullied child? All I’ve seen is mediocre content and price increases for the last half of a decade.

 

[sharpie000]

In terms of content on Netflix, the Mike Flanagan mini series are great. Been binge watching those. The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club. The Fall of the House of Usher will be coming soon. Can’t wait!

 

[WarmWinterHat]

this is why i have no qualms about pirating content. i do it and sleep like a baby every night.

I don't pay for it and I don't pirate it. I let them know I have no interest by not consuming it. Same with all other media.

I just spend more time outside or reading on my kindle.

 

[ackmondual]

Dissenting opinion, but I'll likely sub to Netflix later this year, or sometime next year (roughly. Still working out my rotation schedule). Unlike the majority of NF users, this'll be my first time subbing to it! Contrast that some people I know, and those online who say they've been with NF ever since they first started streaming over 1.5 decades ago (if not having been with them when they were still only peddling DVDs).

That said, I have cut back on them. In years past, I was on promo rates, but now, I'm down to one major streaming service (ss) at a time*. There's enough content on them to last me from one month to another. And if not, then we cancel. While I can stand to save the $$, time is the bottleneck.

I've also axed Amazon Prime. I don't buy enough from them to warrant the $150/yr (after taxes). I buy stuff from outside Amazon (directly from businesses own websites), and it's just cheaper for me to pay for any shipping out-of-pocket. I wouldn't mind returning to Prime Video to catch up on a few things, but I'll just sub to that a la carte for $9/mo. Well $12/mo now that they charge an extra $3 to go ad-free.

* I have Curiosity Stream, but that's only $20/yr (I appear to be on some grandfathered plan, as opposed to the new rate of $40/yr). It's also only documentaries, which I enjoy, but it's not enough to carry my ss preferences

 

[Fuzzball84]

Ive cut back massively on streaming services… i was spending far too much for the little content i was consuming.

More selective now and switch between them as required

 

[Unity451]

Thanks to all these streaming services, the endless supply of terrible content, and high prices, I've started reading more.

 

[ersan191]

Discovery plus also announced a price hike today, yay.

 

[Boeingfan]

HAHAHAHAHA Who couldn't see that coming. Pure greed; not only get more money from advertisers, but increase the cost to subscribers! I'm glad we canned Netflix last year.

 

[Boeingfan]

Wonder how many will say they’re canceling but then don’t…

I can assure you not I; canned it last year and don't miss a thing.

 

[ikir]

Cancelled last year, happy with AppleTV+

 

[gsurf123]

I’ve moved over the Tubi and been satisfied enough to jettison Netflix. Yes there are commercials but there is a timer telling you how long you have to suffer or how much time you have to do something. Most are very short and tolerable.

 

[ackmondual]

I don’t see how the streaming services can make money long term. The business model doesn’t make sense to me — it encourages consumption, but you have to keep offering new content, which will continue to cost more, leading to lower profit, leading to higher consumer prices to make up for the lost profit. At what point does the consumer wake up and step out of this doom loop?

Last I heard, Netflix is the only one that made profit. Dsn+ lost $1 billion over some amount of time.

As for new content, I'm guessing it's a case of "not everyone has watched everything". For many of us, we can still sub to a ss (streaming service) b/c there's still plenty of things to watch. If you've been with a ss since they first opened shop (like NF back in 2007), then I can see folks who've been around for the long term having seen it all, and just moving on (but at that point, they've already had you as a subscriber for all that time!).

Consumers are still fine with this so long as it provides them value. Speaking of which, as for all the comments about piracy, I have no doubt the folks here will do just that. However, we still represent a vocal minority. Your typical consumer values convenience, and paying $7 to $20/mo to just do a few clicks/taps to get stuff running is just tops to them. Some won't do piracy out of morale and legal reasons. I know some who really are too lazy ($7 to $20 is well within their budget). Other... I can't see them being able to set up a VPN, and doing all those other activities. It's not difficult, but some of these folks are that tech challenged.

 

[Cloudyskies22]

this is why i have no qualms about pirating content. i do it and sleep like a baby every night.

And you get absolutely ******* picture and sound quality.

 

[ackmondual]

I’m curious what Netflix has done for you that has you sticking up for them like they’re a bullied child? All I’ve seen is mediocre content and price increases for the last half of a decade.

I can't speak for that person, but the thing with streaming services is there are legit reasons to love and hate each one of them. ATV+, Dsn+, Hulu, HBO Max, etc. "One person's trash is another person's treasure" truly applies here.

 

[jasheeky]

And you get absolutely ******* picture and sound quality.

wrong. for netflix/prime/hulu/appletv+ these are bit for bit rips, including same bitrate, dynamic range (hdr10/DV) and audio soundtrack. for movies outside of this, it's a copy of the uhd bluray, beating streaming quality. they are called remuxes.