Is Netflix Going to Raise Prices? Yes, but it Might be a While

I sometimes stop and think about how much time I spend watching Netflix content. Both the list of original Netflix shows as well as their normal third party movies and TV show catalog could keep a subscriber happy for years of binge watching.

To top this all off, I’m only paying $8 for the privilege.

Now while some might feel any price increase for a service is somehow unfair, I can confidently say most folks would be alright paying a few bucks more for their monthly Netflix subscription. 79% said they’d prefer paying a bit more than having to see ads, so while some might complain, when rubber meets the road, if we were all asked to pony up $2-3 bucks more a month to keep streaming, we’d likely grumble a bit then do it anyways.

So to mentally prepare everyone for this as a potential reality, inflation is a real thing, Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix commented last week that there are likely going to be price increases hitting all subscribers in the coming years, with no mention of a specific date.

Netflix has upset its client base in the past, with the whole Qwikster debacle (don’t get me started), but since then has pretty much just started printing money for its investors. Interestingly, Hastings is probably acting relatively cautiously here as to avoid another major misstep with his otherwise loyal customers. Back during the Qwikster era, there weren’t necessarily a lot of viable competitors, but now with Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Now and other standalone streaming apps all competing for our attention, Netflix probably won’t fare as well from another big mistake.