Netflix is hiking prices by as much as 18 percent amid rising costs

[fktech]

When Netflix stops "family" sharing that will be it's undoing!

 

[GreenNova343]

when? in 50 years?

It will happen much sooner then that.

"Much" sooner, yes. Soon enough to be significant, probably not.
-- The previous price hike happened 2 years ago, so chances are Netflix isn't moving to a "raise the price every year model", so we're probably safe assuming a worse-case of price hikes every 2 years from now on.
-- On the high end, assuming an 18% rate hike every 2 years, it will take 16 to 18 years for the price to increase from $13/month to $50/month.
-- On the low end, assuming a 10% rate hike every 2 years, it will take 28 to 30 years for the price to reach $50
-- Middle-road estimate, assuming a 13% rate hike every 2 years, it will take 22 to 24 years to reach $50

In all 3 cases, however, you're talking about it taking pretty much an entire generation before future Netflix prices might reach current cable package prices (& low-end packages at that).

And I can guarantee that Amazon will have raised its prices for Amazon Prime during that same period, so I highly doubt you'll ever see that much of a price gap between the 2 services.

And I can honestly say I'm not biased because I have both Amazon Prime & Netflix. There are aspects of both that I like & dislike (I.e. I like how Amazon's trailers work & their "Customers Also Watched" feature; I also like how Netflix puts all of the seasons of a show together instead of making them separate selections, and how I can like/dislike a show in Netflix while in the Roku channel), & there are movies & shows that I can find on 1 service that aren't on the other. But even with price increases they're still cheaper than cable or satellite packages.

 

[Shiney]

Which is why I've never had Netflix. First, they get ya hooked, then slowly creep up the price until eventually it would be up in the cable/satellite range.
I have Amazon prime, and use their movie, music, shipping. For me, it's perfect.

Amazon prime has the same problem though. They continue to increase the price. At the very least with netflix they are spending that money on making and licensing new content. Amazon takes your money and adds prime music or some other service you may not even use while that money could have spent on content.

Netflix will eventually charge $50-$100 per month.
Question is, with so much recycled content, and a push for new stuff, where will the balance meet, and what will users be willing to pay?

I have no doubt that most of Netflix's subscribers would say goodbye even at 50 bucks.

I don't know about that. Many people pay $80+ a month for cable TV and that's with ads. I'm willing to bet that people will pay more money for more content.

I do not live in the US and in Romania the content they offer is quite limited compared to what people in States have. So from my point of view a price increase is not acceptable as they are not offering me more content to chose from.

They do have some original content that is interesting, I like their anime production, a few of the new series. But if you want more money, give more things to watch, interesting things, not movies or series with scripts stitched together or blatantly ripped off from popular shows or stories.

Blame international law that was never intended to take the internet into consideration. Netflix is forced to pay per region for content, which gets pricey very fast.

And we are forced to pay for an ever increasing amount of foreign films/series with subtitles.

 

[Evernessince]

And we are forced to pay for an ever increasing amount of foreign films/series with subtitles.

Those are really popular with millennials. They could drop those but then they'd loose 30% of their subscribers.

 

[Puiu]

And we are forced to pay for an ever increasing amount of foreign films/series with subtitles.

you are talking as if only Americans watch Netflix. that's just annoying.

 

[Bubbajim]

I don't think I'll be particularly fussed if this price hike gets mirrored over here in Blighty.

Go to the cinema once, two people and some snacks, all for £50. Or get five months of Netflix for the same amount.

HHHHhhhhhhmmmmmmmm.......

 

[GreenNova343]

And we are forced to pay for an ever increasing amount of foreign films/series with subtitles.

Those are really popular with millennials. They could drop those but then they'd loose 30% of their subscribers.

Not just millennials. Some interesting movies are made in languages other than English (like del Toro's The Devil's Backbone & Pan's Labyrinth, or the Finnish Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale). Sure, you have to pay 100% attention to the TV screen to read the subtitles, but there are plenty of good to great non-English language movies out there.

And we are forced to pay for an ever increasing amount of foreign films/series with subtitles.

you are talking as if only Americans watch Netflix. that's just annoying.

Yes, it is. And speaking as an American, I've come across plenty of non-English language movies (especially in the horror category) that are just as good if not better than a lot of the English-language ones. And even in the English-language ones, there are times that some of the Irish and Australian horror movies are of much higher quality, with better plots, than some of the US films.

 

[Misagt]

Honestly this isn't a surprise. Netflix recreated value for these old shows. Where they used to be had for a reasonable price with competition lead to price increases. Here is the fact we need to get rid of insane Author's life + 70 years for copy-write. 25 years from time of public release tops. If we don't do this the cast of friends for example will still each be making 20 million a year for something they haven't done in 20 years.