Netflix is the standard bearer currently for streaming services. It has grown incredibly over the last decade by creating its own series and movies and giving subscribers a lot of quality. This is above and beyond what the streamer shows from other studios. More recently, Netflix has spent a lot of money to dive into live-streaming sports events and viewership has increased.
Of course, the company also knows people are going to continue to tune in and subscribers will grow. The streamer is out to supply quality content, but it also wants to make a lot of money. This is what capitalism is all about, of course. Price increases should not come as a shock or surprise.
This week, Netflix announced an increase in all tier levels for subscribers. A standard account with ads will increase from $6.99 to $7.99; ad-free subscriptions will go from $15.49 to $17.99; a premium plan will jump from $22.99 to $24.99. In 2015, a premium subscriber paid $14.99 a month. 10 years and 10 dollars.
Netflix viewers voice outrage over recent subscription hike
Many fans are not happy and have used social media to voice their anger. People have a right to complain, of course, but what would be stranger is Netflix never raising prices when they are spending more money on original content and sports programming. A rate hike is just the cost of doing business with Netflix and receiving good content and exclusives.
This doesn't reflect the latest changes, but Netflix raises its prices in one way or another basically every other year. I cancelled my Amazon Prime sub as of today, and honestly, Netflix is next, I'm over it. pic.twitter.com/uNptBdXyI4
— Reid Southen (@Rahll) January 21, 2025
The problem with Reid's argument above is that should he cancel Amazon and Netflix, he is going to have limited options elsewhere. Maybe he is just tired of watching things. Sure, $24.99 a month might be a bit to pay, but one day it is likely to be $50 a month (one can assume).
Time to get rid of netflix. I think ima cancel all the apps and just get youtube tv. There was a reason people used to pirate all the movies and tv shows. I think were getting back to that point.
— ATTACK TITAN (@B_SNSEI) January 22, 2025
Watching pirating films can be illegal. Don't involve yourself is this mess, kids.
How long before the streaming bubble pops with too many services and consumers not having enough cash?
— Wrestle G (@Wrestle_G) January 21, 2025
Let's just say years. Plus, if people choose Netflix over Hulu and Hulu eventually decides to close down because they are losing too many subscribers, that will only make Netflix happy. It is called free market capitalism.
lol $25 a month just to have Netflix is crazy it honestly is baffling people spend that much money on just basically 1 service for simply old movies and tv shows + "netflix originals / exclusives" which you watch once or twice and or most of the time are not even good.
— DaBoul🔫🐝 (@QuakeNukem) January 21, 2025
This is a weird take. Watching old movies/shows along with original movies/shows is the same game plan for almost every streaming service. Netflix is no different. Plus, most people do not have just one subscription to a streaming service, so the total amount is likely far more than $25 a month.
They don’t have enough great content to demand $25/month
— JAMES (@jamesmaxwell87) January 21, 2025
This is simply false. If one does not like the content, fine. But there is certainly a lot of content.