This isn’t really news anymore, but it’s a repeating cycle. So here we are again. Netflix just – quietly, mind you – increased the price of its subscription packages. For starters, the basic tier, which occasionally throws a few ads in your face, now costs $8.99 per month, down from the $7.99 monthly fee.
What else is going on?
It’s the nature of things: “You should pay more to see less advertising.” Netflix lives this code pretty seriously. Of course, it has also increased the price of the Standard and Premium plans, which save you the hassle of watching ads in the middle of an intense binge-watching session. The latter plan used to cost $24.99, but it’s ready to add to your monthly subscription bill by going up to $26.99. The standard plan (without ads) will increase from $17.99 to $19.99.
But that’s not all. Remember when Netflix made fun of Moocher and introduced a strategy that would let you ethically add more members to your current plan? Well, if you want to add a new pair of eyes to your standard plan, it’s $7.99 per head per month, up from $6.99 not long ago. Of course, they would continue to see advertising just like you. Skipping ads requires you to spend $9.99 each month on new additions.
If you and your co-subscriber want to avoid the curse of advertising while using the Premium plan, the hit for adding a new member has been increased from $8.99 to $9.99 per month. It only costs a dollar or two, but the increase is largely there. And if the world of techno-capitalism has taught me anything, there is no hope of a return to better (read: cheaper) times.
But why?
Well, Netflix told TechCrunch that the recent price increase is a subtle tax to improve its service recently and raise the quality bar. It’s a vague statement that shouldn’t have been said with so much confidence. But here we are, regardless.
As for the new pricing structure, it will come into effect for new subscribers starting March 26, while existing customers will face the one-dollar wrath in the coming months. As a nice gesture of attentive customer support, Netflix informs users about the rising prices via email a month in advance.
If it’s any consolation, Netflix is also home to a great selection of games. Maybe it’s finally time to take advantage of some of these treasures and really optimize your subscription spending? I highly recommend Red Dead Redemption, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Dead Cells, Street Fighter IV CE, Oxenfree, WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition, and Into the Breach.
