This is per Variety, which reports that the streamer is instituting hikes for all three of its currently offered plans, in amounts ranging from 1 to 2 bucks a month. And if you find yourself thinking “Hey, didn’t Netflix just raise its prices?” well, congratulations on having a fully functioning not-actually-all-that-long-term memory: The service last raised prices just a little more than a year ago.
In terms of specifics, Netflix’s ad-supported tier will now be charging you $8.99 a month to watch commercials along with your various Squid Games, while its ad-free Standard plan will now charge $19.99 a month. And the big spenders who go in for the Premium plan (four devices at once, with Ultra HD and HDR) will now be big-spending $26.99 a month for the privilege.
Variety attempts to explain this decision to raise prices again by using fancy phrases like “pricing power,” which, as far as we can tell, is an economic shorthand for “Fuck you, you’ll pay it.” Netflix was slightly more diplomatic in a statement about the move, saying, “Our approach remains the same: We continue offering a range of prices and plans to meet a variety of needs, and as we deliver more value to our members we are updating our prices to enable us to reinvest in quality entertainment and improve their experience by updating our prices.” (It’s funny how the “range of prices” never seems to extend downward, huh?) Among other things, the bump up to $20 a month allows Netflix’s Standard plan to retake its place as the most expensive of the current non-premium streaming tiers.
The new prices will start for new subscribers today; current subscribers will see them roll out over the next month or two.
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