Good news! Netflix wants more money for its films and TV shows, as subscription prices take a notable hike in the US.
You don’t have to think back very far to remember when the monthly subscription cost for a streaming service appeared to be on the economic side. Over the course of the last few years, as streamers have been spending on bigger and bigger productions, inevitably it’s the end customer that has to foot the bill. Sooner or later, it was always going to be so.
Over in the US then, Netflix revealed last week that it will “occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix”. The last time it did this was October 2023, and new pricing will take effect in the US over the coming weeks.
The cost of the ad-supported tier in America is going from $6.99 to $7.99 a month. The standard tier without ads is getting a heftier hit, up from $15.49 to $17.99. And the premium tier goes from $22.99 to $24.99.
This comes as the company confirms that it’s added around 19 million subscribers in the last quarter of last year. Furthermore, that Squid Game season two proved to be a big hit. And then the pretty forgettable Back In Action movie, launched last week, has been the most viewed English language film debut on Netflix since The Adam Project in 2022. In Ryan Lambie’s preview, he pretty much predicted as much, but he won’t be getting a bonus biscuit for getting that right.
There’s been no news to date as to whether these price rises will be impacting the UK, but will be offering no biscuits to those who predict it will.
Netflix boss Ted Sarandos has added that “When you’re going to ask for a price increase you better make sure you have the goods and the engagement to back it up, and I feel like what we have going into 2025 is just that”.
The $320m Russo brothers film The Electric State, with its expensive wigs, arrives in March.
Related Stories
- While Netflix numbers go up, Disney+ numbers are going down
Price rises keep the profits coming in, but Disney+ was losing subscribers at the end of 2024 - and the outlook is tricky.
The story’s been told many times over about the seismic gamble Disney took in launching its own streaming service. From pretty much shuttering its home entertainment division as it stood to spending over [...]
- Wednesday | Lady Gaga joins cast for season two
Joker 2 star Lady Gaga has reportedly joined the already-impressive cast actors confirmed for Netflix show's second season of Wednesday.
The second season of Wednesday is on the way, and several talented new faces have already been added to the show's roster to ensure that it builds on the success of its predecessor. We've already learned [...]
- The top 45 must-see films of 2025
Looking ahead to 2025, here are the 45 films of all genres - from horror to comedy to drama and more - we reckon you really shouldn't miss.
Special mentions:
Firstly, the movies you won’t be seeing, but want to namecheck. Our rules were that we didn’t want to include films that had screened, but not made [...]
- The Sandman | Netflix show cancelled after two seasons
Allegations surrounding Neil Gaiman have led to The Sandman being cancelled at Netflix after two just seasons.
Netflix's adaptation of the legendary comic book series The Sandman is to be cancelled after its upcoming second season. This was revealed when Netflix unveiled a new poster for the show. The original run of comic books certainly had [...]
- The Old Guard 2 will emerge from post-production hell in July 2025, Netflix reveals
Netflix's production slate finally gives long-delayed sequel The Old Guard 2 a release date: expect it on your tellybox on the 2nd July.
Just as we were thinking about buying a funeral wreath for The Old Guard 2, an action sequel stuck in post-production hell since 2022, Netflix comes along and announces a release date. You've [...]
