Netflix is ​​making a core for its own back with rising prices

OPINION: Netflix is ​​giving its subscribers a decision on their latest price increase, and this could force them to head to new (and cheaper) pastures.

Over the last few months, I’ve written a lot about streaming video services. Not so long ago I was talking about services becomes prone to risk and what’s out there now is simple too much to choose from. And now my prices are jumping.

With the announcement that Netflix raise its prices In the UK and Ireland, “basic” and “standard” packages are increased by 1 pound, and premium – by 2 pounds per month. While in isolation it doesn’t look like a big increase, the Premium level costs £ 16 a month (or £ 15.99 if you want to be meticulous). There was an ordinary cap in excess of the license fee, but compare the two services and the BBC’s wide range of services costs £ 159, while Netflix charges £ 190 a year per view in 4K HDR. That’s a lot.

The justification for the increase is that it will help Netflix continue to invest “in best-in-class British productions and offer a wide selection of quality shows and movies” similar to what they said in January 2021, where this increase reflects “significant investment in new TV shows and movies”. Who can say that in a year the subscriptions will not be raised again with this excuse, which will be sent to the next air? Will prices rise every time Netflix adds a feature (8K?)? This adds an unnecessary sense of nervousness about it all.

With digital streaming services, gin has been released, and if subscribers haven’t yet realized this, prices are moving in one direction, contrasting with physical media, which has often become cheaper over time. The idea of levels with advertising support with streaming services may be appealing to some, but even that annoys me. There was no essence to pay for these streaming services so that we are not exposed frequent breaks in advertising?

In Netflix’s defense, prices in the UK and Ireland are now not too different from subscription prices in other regions, such as the US and France, if you run them through a currency converter. But the market is no longer what it used to be. It’s not just that, and in Amazon Prime Video these are two obvious options Disney +, Apple TV +Peacock, HBO Max (USA and part of Europe), BBC iPlayer, BritBox, Rakuten TV, Sky and many more.

And services that offer 4K HDR content do so at a more affordable price; in Apple’s case, it’s a third of what Netflix is ​​asking for, and for Disney, it’s half. Netflix risks its status of switching to streaming for the “average” person, as new and existing subscribers have been given the opportunity to think about what value they are getting. Netflix can talk about what value they offer all they want, but if I or you don’t watch the service as often for some reason, inevitably look for other options.

Price is getting harder to accept

The price is no longer one of those hidden ones that we just accept to pay every month. As the cost of living and energy prices rise sharply, it becomes a pretty significant part of the annual cost just to watch a few streaming video services and need something to give.

It doesn’t help that subscriber growth has declined to its lowest level in 2021, despite frequent blockades, while others are gnawing at Netflix’s leadership. The first content leaves the service Star Trek: Discoverynow Marvel Netflix Disney + show featuring Brave and Jessica Jones. After watching what Netflix is ​​doing, studios are becoming more aggressive, and Netflix is ​​losing the luster of the video service.

Netflix can confidently speak out about increased competition – they may even get an Oscar winner for best film – but they seem to be under pressure. Due to the fact that Netflix cancels shows before they appear, there is a need for big hits that can be viewed, or movies with a lot of noise, and they don’t always exist.

Like cops and criminals in John Carpenter’s “Attack on Site 13,” Netflix feels under siege – perhaps a little dramatic – but the next few months will show if they’re right to be confident or if they’re nervously watching their shoulder. Omar’s quote from The Wire: “If you approach the king, it’s best not to miss,” although Netflix may have eased it by shooting himself in the foot.