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Most Netflix Customers Don't Realize Prices Will Increase Next Month (time.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Millions of Netflix customers are about to start paying more to stream their favorite movies and TV shows -- and chances are, they don't even realize it. In May 2014, Netflix raised the price of its standard streaming plan for new subscribers, to $9.99 a month. However, the price hike did not apply to existing customers, who were grandfathered into their current rates of $7.99 a month for a two-stream, HD plan, Business Insider reported. Unfortunately, the good times are about to end for this customer base, which analysts estimate at about 17 million people, or 37% of Netflix's U.S. subscribers. In May, all grandfathered customers will be required to fork over $9.99 to continue to watch Netflix. Even worse, about 80% of those who will be affected by the price increase did not realize it was coming, according to research from JP Morgan.
yeah!
Holy shit, after two years they plan on charging customers $2 more per month!
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
>> 80% of those who will be affected by the price increase did not realize it was coming
80% sounds low. I didn't know about it until I read about it on SlashDot, and that hardly ever happens!
However, it's still less than the $40-50/month I used to pay for cable and I watch more stuff...so I'd expect a couple more annual increases as time goes on.
Say what???
2 years ago, Netflix sent out an email explaining all of that, and avoided a backlash. I thought is was reasonable that they would wait two years to increase the cost to current customers, and in doing so gave me a lot of time to decide what, if anything I would do.
This isn't a story. If anything it was one of the first times that Netflix changed things the right way for once.
_ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
"the good times are about to end for this customer base, which analysts estimate at about 17 million people, or 37% of Netflix's U.S."
Last official member numbers from Netflix were 74M customers (end of 2015). That means that 22% of the customer base is impacted (or 37% of Netflix's US customer base. Whether you choose to look at the 22% (since article title talks about "most Netflix customers," not "most US Netflix customers"), or the 37% number, neither represents "most."
It'd be far more correct to say that most Netflix customers for whom prices are finally going up don't realize it's going to happen.
Kinda wonder how many of them will care ...
Even worse ... Netflix grandfathered in all these old customers at a time when it didn't have a large and growing library of exclusive content that is winning critical acclaim left and right.
Netflix ... the 80s schoolyard crack dealer of internet streaming. FOR SHAME!
Breakfast served all day!
I'm pretty disappointed in the direction Netflix is going. Yes, I like that they don't have commercials. However, there are a lot of shows that have disappeared from Netflix. The justification for the rate increase is paying for the rights to stream content. Yet there's less content than ever to stream. And there's a nasty side effect from cord cutting. Right now, I can get just about any channel there is and watch it on cable, with one (quite high) monthly bill. It's all in one place, and I'm only paying for that content once. Bet for streaming, Netflix has some content, Hulu has some additional content, CBS has their own streaming service, BBC wants to launch their own service (which is why Doctor Who got pulled from Netflix and Hulu), and Amazon Video has still other content. And then there's live sports, which aren't available through any of them, but tend to be quite expensive (ESPN, I'm looking at you). Instead of paying one bill to watch stuff, I have to subscribe to a lot of services, which is complicated and expensive. And they still don't cover watching live sports, which I care about. If Netflix is raising prices while they remove content, and they're not sending reminders to users about it, I might just have to drop them. By the way, it's pathetic that there are lots of shows that nobody has streaming rights for in the US. When you play the game of everyone wanting their own streaming service and make some content completely unavailable, you drive people to piracy.
Lets see:
Cable:
cheapest cable package: $25.00/Mo [average]
Cable Box Rental Fee: $8.00/Mo
Commercials: Free, 40% Commercial to content ratio included FREE!
Infomercials: FREE
Stale / Static commercial laden content: INCLUDED
Rating Content: NO
Watching Later: NO
Device Shifting: NO - Requires another cable box
Cable Box purchase: $200-$400 for all the stale static commercial laden content you can stomach
Netflix:
Subscription: $9.99
Commercials: NONE
Infomercials: NONE
Stale / Static commercial laden content: NOT INCLUDED
Ratings: INCLUDED
Watching Later: INCLUDED
Device Shifting: INCLUDED
Number of "free" screens: 2
Netflix Box Purchase: as low as $35.00 one time fee
So, they can increase the price, I'll still pay.
They're less than a pack of cigarettes and I've gotten way more enjoyment out of their original programming than I ever have with $100+/month cable packages. If the increase means they can keep up the good work or license additional franchises, bring it on.
to continue to have access to their mediocre collection of content.
Hulu Plus with adblocking is far and away a better return on investment... that said, I cut the cable, so I'll happily throw $10 at them so I can keep myself busy browsing their catalog for something to watch. That activity alone eats up hours of my time every month.
On an unrelated note... Does anyone else feel like we should be able to pay for access to content separately from the UI? I know solutions like TiVo allow you to search multiple content providers, but you still have to use a different user interface for each provider. I'd rather have a single UI(don't mind paying for it) and just pay Hulu, Netflix, Vudu, etc for access to their content. I don't need 5 streaming apps, each with it's own quirky UI.
http://www.masturbateforpeace.com/
Still way cheaper than cable TV which not only costs more out of pocket, it has tons of brain-rotting commercials.
Most of their streaming service is just crap with some pretty good documentaries.
They took Doctor Who off. The Bond films and new Star Treks are come and go and there are no Star Wars or Indiana Jones. And none of the Pixar blockbusters.
The stuff we really like are freely available on PBS' streaming channel and my library and of course, over the air PBS. Once a month they add something that's worth seeing - again. Marco Polo is a great series, but to buy s subscription just for that?
As it is now for $120 per year, I can get our favorite series on DVD - like Foyle's War and Downton Abbey and get other things a la cart from Amazon - $120 goes pretty far for our viewing habits. Although having to buy a streaming version of Star Wars Ep IV for $19 is just ridiculous. Why can't I rent it for $2.99? Is Disney that much of a bunch of money grubbing assholes? (That was accidentally rhetorical.)
Anyway, I'll get what's reasonable and the rest I can easily do without. That's something these media companies need to understand, I do not need them or their content.
One of the things with any cloud-based service (video streaming, AWS, etc.) is that prices are artificially low right now. AWS, Azure, Google Cloud etc. are practically giving away capacity to get companies hooked on their services. At the same time, all the VC-funded startups are subsidizing this cloud build-out so they can continue operating. Netflix and Hulu are pouring money into original content to get more eyeballs a la 1999.
The thing to consider is how fast the price on all these things will go up when Social Mobile Streaming Bubble 2.0 pops. I think this entire market is being propped up by the bubble and will have to come back to Earth sometime. Video streamers are going to have to increase their prices or not offer as much expensive content for the same price, and cloud providers are going to have to cut back on the freebies and crank up their rates.
Direct TV wanted no shit $69.99/month from us. That was 6 years ago. I have never regretted cutting the "cord" in favor of Netflix.
It's still far cheaper than paying the cable company for 200+ channels I don't want. And if a $2/month increase means Netflix can finance more of its own shows, I'll happily pay it. Daredevil and Jessica Jones alone are well worth an extra $24/year for me.
True story ... I kinda forgot that Netflix was only charging me $7.99. I thought the price was ten bucks.
My bad.
Breakfast served all day!
It was clearly pointed out. However... Due to them dropping BBC content, they no longer interest me and I'll be canceling my subscription.
I use the original mail-the-dvd plan, at 5 bucks a month. I simply don't spend enough time watching to justify the streaming subscription, and the selection is much larger.
Well, I didn't entirely remember the two-year delayed increase for grandfathered customers until I read through this post... but upon reflection, I did indeed read about this, two years ago when it was originally announced. The problem is, when I read about it then , the price increase was supposed to be from $7.99 to $8.99 for existing customers. So which is it, really? Did plans change at some point, or did someone get their facts wrong?
Cable:
Watching Later: INCLUDED - Xfinity TV includes a selection of videos on demand at no additional charge
Offline Device Shifting: INCLUDED - Comcast has been advertising that unlike satellite, the Xfinity TV Go app allows downloading DRM copies of on-demand shows to watch later on iPhone, iPad, Android devices with Google Play, and Fire tablets.
Live sports: INCLUDED - ESPN, TNT, TBS, NBCSN, FOX Sports, and regional channels
Live politics: INCLUDED - C-SPAN, CNN, MSNBC, FOX News Channel
Netflix:
Subscription: $9.99 plus your ISP's surcharge for not subscribing to the pay TV bundle
Offline Device Shifting: NO
Live sports: NO
Live politics: NO
As a long time Netflix user I'm thinking long and hard about the $10 per month increase. I was already thinking about cutting it off at $7.99 per month. I'm always combing through the bottom of the barrel for something to watching from Netflix. Their UI is intentionally horrible to produce the illusion that they have a lot of content. Netflix is a giant library of B movies and shows that were from the 80's and 90's. They started venturing into animations and now old sitcoms. Netflix used to have one or two decent titles that I'll finish watching on the weekends and the account collects dust for a few months. These days every time I open up Netflix it's like how many more hours am I going to spend looking through the titles for something new. There are other things Netflix does that I don't appreciate. I've been bitten many times where I'm watching a series and Netflix decides to pulls it without warning. Their recent crusade with VPN has been fairly disruptive to my work flow. If I have to pick Netflix versus keeping VPN, it will be VPN. I will likely just go buy an antenna to watch public TV for the latest shows. It's all the same to me anyways. TV serves as background noise to help me do work. That is the only value Netflix really brings.
Have gnu, will travel.
I found out through /. ....just now. :-) Still happy to pay it. And agreed with the other post about cable TV and the ads....unbearable.
I have accounts on AHD, HDB and PTP.
I can search for a movie or TV series and instantly get a well-curated page listing many details, including links to IMDB, screenshots, even some promo material. There are user reviews available as well as subtitles for multiple languages for a lot of releases.
When I grab something, it typically maxes my 500 mbps downstream fiber line. I'm watching the 25gb blu-ray rip in less than 10 minutes without worrying about a streaming service having problems.
The legit services just refuse to compete, and I'm not talking about them having their hands tied with licensing agreements and such. I'm willing to pay a lot of money for a legit service as good as AHD, HDB and PTP, but the legit players STILL don't understand what consumers want.
No live sports, no live politics, no C-SPAN, CNN, MSNBC, FOX News. Definite advantage over cable!
I have had Netflix for almost 4 years. I don't see why $2/month is a big deal. Help me fix my $170/month cable TV + Internet + Showtime suite.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
According to a myriad of recent articles, there is less content available to Netflix subscribers than a few years ago
It's $2 extra a MONTH. Get a grip people!!!
I'd gladly pay double the current price for Netflix.
P.S. for those that complain Netflix doesn't have too many big movies, get the Starz direct app.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Sorry, Netflix. You just made me think about your price and that means I'll cancel when the price goes up.
Nothing on Netflix that I can't Torrent and the Netflix recommendation engine is so horrible that it never suggests a movie that I am interested in seeing.
I'd rather have a single UI(don't mind paying for it) and just pay Hulu, Netflix, Vudu, etc for access to their content.
Me too, and that's why I liked the Sony TVs with the PS3-style UI. Hulu, Netflix Amazon, Crackle all have to route their video through Sony's servers to your TV and that lets Sony box them all into a single UI.
Reviewers, tech sites and (I think) even slashdot always pan that approach because it prevents you from getting the latest 'shiny' being pushed by the app developers because how can you drive ad impressions if your site doesn't denigrate anything that's a femtosecond behind.
"Most Slashdot Readers Don't Realize Time is Still Putting Out Content" would be a better headline.
The problem is, Netflix doesn't replace cable. I'm not saving $90 a month having NF, I'm adding their $9.99 to my existing bill. That said, NF is still more than worth the price.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
It's still pretty good value for what you're getting. I have no problem with this.
BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
I don't think sports channels would be included in a $25/mo package.
Xfinity Digital Starter TV service and comparable "expanded basic cable" packages from other cable providers include some sports programming, such as ESPN, NBCSN, and the matches that TBS and TNT show. More expensive packages include more sports programming, but expanded basic still includes some. And with the bundle discounts, I imagine that adding Xfinity Digital Starter TV to your existing Xfinity Internet service is only $25/mo more.
Also is live politics really a thing?
Yes. C-SPAN hosts a call-in show every morning titled Washington Journal. And on legislative days, it leads straight into a live stream of the U.S. House of Representatives. C-SPAN2 shows the Senate floor, and C-SPAN3 usually shows some committee.
if you can't afford an extra 2 bucks a month you shouldn't be paying for netflix to begin with.
I reduced my disc rental plan to the "once every 2 weeks" plan for $4.99. Never even realized it was an option until I took a look at my subscription a few weeks ago. I've been a subscriber since 2001.
-==- Buy a Mac and leave me alone!
...like providing excellent original programming, providing tools to manage bandwidth utilization, and giving customers two years notice of price increases then maybe all the moronic submissions like this one will stop.
But probably not.
I'm already paying $12 per month and I don't use the service.
Hey, NetFlix, your revenue is about to drop!
Been a customer since the DVD era, but when they went to streaming and then split into streaming and DVD with a raised price, I just chose to stick with streaming.
That was ostensibly a price increase, but I ended up just keeping the amount I was paying before with a reduction in service.
It was a bit of a pain because there was so much that simply is not available by streaming.
Not terribly bothered by the increase since all things go up a bit over time. This is the first time in a decade I have really had an increase.
Still... I didn't know about it.
Their IP block seems to be working, so I have cancelled them anyway efter having paid for their services since 2012.
What they offer here, is not worth it. It's strange that it is the documentaries that I miss. They should be cheap to license I would guess?
(Used disc market + Plex) > Netflix
Selection of stuff you actually want, better quality, better UI, no monthly fees, no arbitrary deletion of tons of good content every month.
Charging more and giving customers less while making up excuses... that's the sign of a desperate and dying company folks.
Time to cancel your subscriptions and move on to bigger and better things.
The rest of the world is already on around 9 dollars. Stop whining you yanks.