Netflix 4K streamers about to see a $2 increase to $13.99 per month
Video streaming giant Netflix is raising its prices for its upper-two pricing tiers, after a long period without a fee increase to cover the company's expanding production stable, and to enhance the service as a whole.
Starting this billing cycle the standard tier that allows for streams to two devices at once is climbing from $9.99 per month to $10.99 per month. The next tier that allows for four screens and 4K streaming, the premium tier, will increase $2 per month to $13.99 per month.
Netflix noted in a statement that the increase was required because of "more exclusive TV shows and movies," new product features, and to "improve the overall Netflix experience." Netflix said in August that it is planning to spend $7 billion on content in 2018, a seven-fold increase over this year.
Users will be notified of the price increase starting on Oct. 19.
The last price hike for U.S. customers only affected a small portion of users. Members that had been on a grandfathered $7.99 per month plan after a 2014 increase were shifted to the then-$9.99 tier in 2016.
A previous hike in 2015 saw a $1 increase for standard tier users, raising the cost to $9.99.
Starting this billing cycle the standard tier that allows for streams to two devices at once is climbing from $9.99 per month to $10.99 per month. The next tier that allows for four screens and 4K streaming, the premium tier, will increase $2 per month to $13.99 per month.
Netflix noted in a statement that the increase was required because of "more exclusive TV shows and movies," new product features, and to "improve the overall Netflix experience." Netflix said in August that it is planning to spend $7 billion on content in 2018, a seven-fold increase over this year.
Users will be notified of the price increase starting on Oct. 19.
The last price hike for U.S. customers only affected a small portion of users. Members that had been on a grandfathered $7.99 per month plan after a 2014 increase were shifted to the then-$9.99 tier in 2016.
A previous hike in 2015 saw a $1 increase for standard tier users, raising the cost to $9.99.
Comments
The headline is a little misleading, as the way I read the article says everyone on the second tier is getting the price hike, regardless of if they stream in 4K. For now, I agree, the price is still decent. However, I think if these streaming services continue to hike their prices they may start to lose people. I tend to keep both Netflix and Hulu around for now as we hit them both up from time to time. But we don't watch either of them enough to justify paying, say, $20/month for each. With this increase Netflix is inching its way toward that. Considering I was paying $8/month in 2014 and just 3 years later they've increased the price almost 50% it doesn't take much to imagine another 50% increase in another 3 years. How long is that sustainable?
There, I fixed it you for.
FTA: "Users will be notified of the price increase starting on Oct. 19."
As for improving the experience, for starters it would be nice if the ATV app didn't constantly force me to select a profile despite my account only having...one profile. Makes no sense. Have reported it years ago, still present. Oh, kids today.
Here's where I sit (and will likely get some flames). My iPhone has a "Retina Display", meaning that it has so many pixels that most people's eyes cannot resolve the difference between individual pixels (when held at a normal viewing distance). So, if Apple decides to quadruple the number of pixels on my iPhone but keep the display the same size and I still hold it at the same distance, will there be any benefit to my eyes? If I already can't see the individual pixels, will adding more be better? I doubt it. With that in mind, if I can't see individual pixels while sitting 8-10 feet from by 55" TV and viewing HD content, will I be able to see a difference viewing UHD content (disregarding HDR)? I doubt it.
And then, for the people who will vehemently defend the 4K viewing at small sizes, what's next? When 8K starts rolling out do you think you'll still be able to see the difference between 4K and 8K on the same size screen sitting at the same distance? What about for 16K? At some point there is no way humans will be able to detect more pixels.