The cost of Netflix’ Standard and Premium plans are set to rise again in the UK and Ireland, less than two years after the previous increase.
This will make Netflix one of the most expensive streaming services in the UK.
Netflix, which has been operating in the UK since 2012, offers a streaming TV service with thousands of movies and TV programmes, based on a monthly subscription, without long-term contracts.
There are currently three membership plans with different prices and limitations.
This Thursday, according to The Telegraph, Netflix will announce a price increase for The Standard and Premium plans, with The Basic plan keeping its existing price:
- The Basic Plan, remains at £5.99/month – Lets you stream content in Standard Definition, on only one device at a time.
- The Standard Plan, going up to £9.99/month (From £8.99) – Lets you stream content in High Definition, on up to 2 devices at a time.
- The Premium Plan, now £13.99/month (From £11.99) – Lets you stream some content in UltraHD (4K), on up to 4 devices at a time.
In Ireland, the Standard plan will go up to €12.99, and the Premium plan will go up to €17.99.
For new Netflix subscribers, the price increase will come into effect right away (starting December 10), while existing customers will soon get an e-mail informing them of the price increase, which will apply to them 30 days after the notification.
The increase in the UK comes a few weeks after a similar increase in the US, where prices for the Standard and Premium plans have gone up by $1 and $2, respectively.
Regarding the price increase, a Netflix spokesperson told us:
“This year we’re spending over $1bn in the UK on new, locally-made films, series and documentaries, helping to create thousands of jobs and showcasing British storytelling at its best – with everything from The Crown, to Sex Education and Top Boy, plus many, many more.
“Our price change reflects the significant investments we’ve made in new TV shows and films, as well as improvements to our product. Our basic membership will remain at the same price, ensuring as many people as possible can enjoy our content.”
Netflix Pricing VS. The Competition
At £9.99/month for the standard plan, Netflix’ price remains higher than most of its competitors in the UK – and even more so when you look at the 4K premium plan.
Amazon Prime Video costs £5.99/month (or £79/year if you get the full Amazon Prime membership), and includes 4K streaming, so it’s more comparable to Netflix’ £13.99/month premium plan.
Disney+ costs £5.99/month or £59.99/year, also with 4K included as part of the plan, so comparable to Netflix’ Premium Plan.
Apple TV+ costs £4.99/month, and is available for free for those who purchase a new Apple device.
NOW TV, on the other hand, has separate plans for movies, TV shows and kids content (and sports). At £9.99/month for the TV package and £11.99/month for the Cinema package – it’s by far the most expensive UK streaming service when you combine the two.
Plus, not only does NOW TV not offer any 4K content – you also need to pay an extra £3/month for Full HD (1080p).
Then again, if you compare Netflix to the “traditional” pay-TV competitors, like Sky and Virgin Media, Netflix is still considerably cheaper in most cases.
And, unlike the typical 12 or 18-month contracts from the satellite/cable companies, you can cancel Netflix at any point, and re-subscribe whenever you want.
Shocking price rise again
When can i expect a hike in quality of programming, and an increase in qutity of said programming?
And while we’re at it, where’s my 8k content?
I went from 4 screen to 2 screen at the last price rise, with this I haven’t decided whether to go to 1 screen or ditch Netflix all together, I am sure as hell not gonna pay the extra while the give a single penny to Harry and Megan
Bye bye netflix is just not worth it for the content we get compared to us. The us version is 100 times better then the anemic uk version.
This is ridiculous especially as I’m fed up with Netflix dubbing half the films. WHY? Amazon don’t dub there films so why do netflix.
You don’t have to watch Netflix content with the dubbing – you can always switch to the original language.
You can literally change that in the settings easily
When they last hiked prices I moved down to their basic SD package. Honestly my 41 year old eyes on a 55 inch telly from 4 to 5 metres away can’t tell the difference.
I recommend others of same demographic try it and see for a month – there’s no point in buying a service just for a buzzword if you can’t physically use it.
Now, just before a potential major recession, Netflix should not be trying to stoke the flames of hyper inflation.