The streaming market is becoming increasingly competitive and even industry leader Netflix has to be wary of the competition. Nevertheless, Netflix raised prices in the US at the beginning of the year. Now the price increase is also reaching Europe.
What started in the US and Canada, Netflix is now continuing in Europe. The streaming provider has increased prices in the UK and Ireland. Do Netflix customers in Germany now have to expect a price increase?
Netflix started in North America
Since mid-January, new Netflix customers in the US and Canada have been paying higher subscription prices than before. Netflix has adjusted the prices of all three subscription options. Since then, the basic subscription without HD and just one stream has cost $9.99 instead of $8.99 previously. For the “Standard” HD option with two simultaneous streams, subscribers must now pay 15.49 US dollars instead of 13.99 as before pay US dollars. And for the most expensive premium option with 4K support and four streams, the provider is charging $19.99 in the US. The average price increase at Netflix is 11 percent:
| Netflix prices USA | Previous prices | New prices | price difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (SD, 1 screen) | $8.99 | $9.99 | $1 (11.1 percent) |
| Standard (HD, 2 screens) | $13.99 | $15.49 | $1.50 (10.7 percent) |
| Premium (4K, 4 screens) | $17.99 | $19.99 | $2 (11.1 percent) |
In Canada, too, Netflix has increased the prices for the standard and premium subscriptions by the same amounts. There, however, the price for the basic subscription remains untouched:
| Netflix prices canada | Previous prices | New prices | price difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (SD, 1 screen) | $9.99 CAD | $9.99 CAD | – |
| Standard (HD, 2 screens) | $14.99 CAD | $16.49 CAD | $1.50 CAD (10 percent) |
| Premium (4K, 4 screens) | $18.99 CAD | C$20.99 | 2 CAD (10.5 percent) |
Netflix last changed the subscription costs in the US in October 2020, as TECHBOOK reported.
Does Netflix also increase prices in Germany?
Netflix is in a difficult situation. More and more streaming providers such as Disney+, Peacock and Paramount+ are entering the market and some are withdrawing their productions from Netflix. This makes it increasingly difficult to acquire new subscribers. Nevertheless, the provider must continue to produce high-quality content in order not to lose existing customers. After a slump in 2021 — caused in part by halts in production early in the COVID-19 pandemic — Netflix is pouring big bucks into its content in 2022. Money that Netflix only gets back through a price increase.
TECHBOOK has asked Netflix whether higher prices are also imminent for Europe and Germany in particular. In a press statement in January, the company assured us that there was no indication that the subscription costs in Germany would be adjusted:
“Price increases are country specific. The increase in the US does not influence or indicate a global price change. We increase prices from time to time to continuously expand and improve the range of series, films and shows, as well as the quality on our service. Our primary goal is to continue to provide great entertainment for our subscribers and ensure they receive ever-increasing value for their membership.”
– a Netflix spokesperson
Netflix price increase now also in Europe
Despite these pronouncements, Netflix’s price increase has spilled across the Atlantic two months after it was adjusted in the US and Canada. Because the streaming provider has now also increased the costs in Great Britain and Ireland. The last adjustments were made in 2020 and 2021, whereby the basic package remained untouched at that time. The current price increase is now affecting all three subscription options from Netflix.
In the UK, the price of the basic package will increase from £5.99 to £6.99 per month. The cost of the HD package with two parallel streams climbs to £10.99 and the premium package by two pounds for a total of £15.99. However, the price development in Ireland is particularly interesting, where, like in Germany, billing is also done in euros. Netflix now charges 8.99 euros, 14.99 euros and 20.99 euros for the subscriptions and thus breaks the 20 euro mark for the premium package for the first time. Customers in Ireland now pay up to 16.7 percent more – a hefty premium.
| Netflix prices Ireland | Previous prices | New prices | price difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (SD, 1 screen) | 7.99 euros | 8.99 euros | 1 euro (12.5 percent) |
| Standard (HD, 2 screens) | 12.99 euros | 14.99 euros | 2 euros (15.4 percent) |
| Premium (4K, 4 screens) | 17.99 euros | 20.99 euros | 3 euros (16.7 percent) |
In view of these developments, it no longer seems so unlikely that Netflix’s price increase could soon also affect German customers. The company last raised the subscription costs in Germany in January 2021. At that time, the prices for the standard subscription rose from 11.99 euros to 12.99 euros and for the premium subscription from 15.99 euros to 17.99 euros. The basic subscription has remained unchanged at 7.99 euros since Netflix started in Germany.