Seeing the Disney+ threat on the horizon, Netflix has decided that investing is the best counter-attack, so they have just announced a raise in the prices of their plans (except for the Basic) for UK subscribers by a significant 20%. This is the first time that Netflix changes the cost of their plans for UK clients since 2017, so the tiers will now cost the following:
The basic plan is really what its name suggests, and not many people opt for it. It only allows viewing on one device, but the most annoying of its offerings is the limitation to SD/480p. The standard plan is what most UK subscribers pick, as it increases the device limit to "two", and takes the maximum resolution to HD levels (720p). This means that most people will be impacted by the rise of the prices, but not immediately. Netflix is planning to implement the additional cost on the existing 10 million UK subscribers over the next couple of weeks, but new customers will be placed in the new cost tiers right away.
As a Netflix spokesperson told The Guardian: "We change our prices from time to time to reflect the significant investments we've made in new TV shows and films, as well as improvements to our product. We have more than 50 productions planned in the UK this year, including new seasons of Black Mirror, Sex Education and After Life. Our basic membership will remain at the same price, ensuring as many people as possible can enjoy our content."
So, this means that UK subscribers may have to pay a couple of pounds more every month, but they should expect to get more exciting TV shows, original films and series that further increase the entertainment payback. After all, and as the same Netflix representative stated, compared to the competition and the available options in the UK, Netflix remains a great value for money.
This move comes after Netflix raised the prices for all plans for US, Latin America, and Caribbean subscribers in January. The company had justified this move by saying that investing in creating more original content would be crucial for their growth, and for securing global presence and market push. Judging from the results so far, they were right, but the scene is about to get a lot more competitive this year.
Will you still be subscribing to Netflix in the UK after the price raise? Let us know in the comments down below, and also on our socials, on Facebook and Twitter.