What just happened? With everything becoming more expensive and many people tightening their belts, Netflix has decided now is a good time to raise subscription prices for the second time in just over a year. All three of its tiers are being hiked, with the most expensive Premium plan now $26.99 per month and the cheapest option rising to $8.99.
The streaming giant's new pricing pushes the Standard With Ads plan up by $1 to $8.99 per month. The ad-free Standard plan that allows viewing on two devices simultaneously is going up by $2, from $17.99/month to $19.99/month.
Those who want to take advantage of their televisions' 4K/HDR/spatial audio functionality using Netflix's Premium plan will also be paying an extra $2 per month, increasing the monthly price from $24.99 to $26.99.
Any new members who sign up will have to pay the new prices immediately. Existing members will start paying more as the updated tiers roll out over the next few weeks.
Netflix says that existing members will be notified by email a month before the new prices are applied to them, with the timing depending on the individual member's billing cycle.
It was only January 2025 when Netflix last increased its prices. That update also saw the ad-supported tier increase by $1, while the other two plans went up by $2. The previous hike came in October 2023, which followed another in 2022.
As is always the case when any streamer increases its prices, Netflix has rolled out the excuse that these hikes reflect improvements to its "wide range of entertainment" and the quality of its service.
The streaming king has recently introduced video podcasts and more livestreaming content, and plans to redesign its mobile app as it pushes further into vertical content. But this latest increase is the eighth that Netflix has introduced to its Standard plan since it launched at $7.99 in November 2010. In just over 15 years, the price has increased 150%.
The hikes come soon after a new streaming-usage record was set in the United States on Christmas Day, spurred on by the final season of Stranger Things and the broadcast of NFL games.