Netflix is going to increase its standard subscription prices next month. Subscribers then have to pay $9.99 per month for the standard option, wherein the standard subscription option provides users with HD quality programming and concurrent streaming options.
According to Variety, Netflix announced last Friday that their standard subscribers will experience a two dollar increase in their plans. People who are interested in using the service only for one person at a time, and do not want the HD option, are allowed to opt out of the upgrade and continue with the $7.99 plan. Netflix, which is proud of its 74.76 million users worldwide (44.74 million in the U.S.), is cheaper than its competitors even after the upgrade. The subscription to Hulu and HBO costs $11.99 and $14.99 respectively.
The company has told that users who are going to be affected by the upgrade will receive a prior email, so that they have enough time to decide if they want to stay with the plan or opt out. In the beginning of the year, Netflix had announced that the increase in subscription costs would be experienced by the U.S. customers whereas the new members who joined in October 2015 (paying $9.99 per month) would not be affected till the second half of this year.
More expensive subscriptions are available to those who wish to stream simultaneously with more than two people. For such packages, no updates have been announced by Netflix till now. The CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings and CFO David Wells, said to the shareholders in January that only a mild elevated churn is expected as their members have been with them since two years, which is a good customer loyalty.
The release of first quarter earnings results are expected by the company after market close on April 18.