Netflix’s subscription prices are going up in the US and Canada, making it one of the most expensive streaming services in North America.
In the past, UK price increases soon followed – so should customers expect a price hike on our side of the pond?
Netflix, the huge American streaming service, has seen great success this past year, with major hits like Squid Game, Lupin, Cobra Kai and many others.
However, its growth with new subscriber numbers has stalled – both in the US and the UK. And with Netflix spending over $17 Billion on content last year, a price increase comes as no surprise.
Yesterday (Friday), Netflix announced a price increase for its customers in the US and Canada, effective immediately for new subscribers, and at a later date for existing subscribers.
In the US, the Basic Plan, which only offers SD content on one device at a time, is going up from $8.99/month to $9.99.
The Standard Plan, with two screens at a time and HD content, is going up from $13.99/month to $15.49.
And the Premium Plan, with up to four screens and 4K (UHD) content, is going up from $17.99/month to $19.99.
These prices now position Netflix as one of the most expensive streaming services in the US.
In comparison, Disney+ costs $7.99/month (for a plan that includes 4K content) and Amazon’s Prime Video standalone (also with 4K) is $8.99/month.
Even the pricey HBO Max is just $14.99/month, for a plan that includes 4K – compared to Netflix’s new $15.49/month plan that DOESN’T include 4K (you would have to go up to $19.99/month for that).
Will Netflix’s UK Prices Go Up Soon?
The last time Netflix raised prices in the UK was in December 2020 – first for new customers, and then for existing ones in January 2021.
Last year, the basic plan has remained the same at £5.99/month, the Standard Plan went up to £9.99/month, and the Premium Plan jumped to £13.99/month.
Looking at the last price increase, as well as past ones, along with US price increase – shows an interesting trend.
In the US, Netflix has raised its prices four times since 2017:
- October 2017
- January 2019
- October 2020
- January 2022
In the UK, Netflix’s prices went up three times since 2017:
- October 2017
- May 2019
- December 2020
So, in October 2017, prices went up at the same time as the US. Then in 2019, prices went up three months after the US. And in 2020, they have gone up two months after the US.
If that trend repeats this year, we can expect a UK price increase in a couple of months.
Hopefully, however, this will be the year that breaks that trend? We’ll have to wait and see.
We approached Netflix for comment and will update accordingly. For more updates, make sure you Subscribe to our free newsletter.