Netflix Once Again Raises Prices :( Are You Surprised?

I’m kind of tired of prices going up.  I mean, I understand why we have to pay more, but I’m tired of it.  Especially when it comes to watching TV.  It feels like there are so many streaming options, and you have to pay for each and every one of them.  Today, Netflix has raised its prices slightly for new customers when it comes to their standard and premium plans.  And existing customers will start to pay these higher prices in November.  So you get one month reprieve.

Netflix will be raising its standard plan from $9.99 to $10.99.  Its premium plan will go from $11.99 to $13.99 for US customers.  The basic plan will remain at $7.99.  And this is what the company had to say about the changes:

From time to time, Netflix plans and pricing are adjusted as we add more exclusive TV shows and movies, introduce new product features and improve the overall Netflix experience to help members find something great to watch even faster.

Why is this happening now?  And with original content being what it is, will these prices just continue to climb?  Netflix has been steadily losing content from some studios like Fox and it’s expected to spend a total of $7 billion on content next year.  They’re also losing Disney in 2018, so they might not have the ability to support themselves anymore.  I would also like to mention how much money they’re spending on content!  Isn’t that a bit much?  I feel like it is, but at the same time, it feels like that’s just how much it costs to make great TV these days.

And I love great TV.  I feel a bit hypocritical with my thinking on this one.  On one hand, I think that it’s outrageous that they’re raising their prices.  But on the other hand, I love their original content so much I want more and more of it.  Which is where that $7 billion figure comes in.  And with more and more studios, and tech giants wanting to create their own content, this only makes sense.  Netflix was kind of the “original” when it comes to original content and the streaming service itself, so they need to stay on top of it.

I am enjoying all original content.  CBS for example with The Good Fight and Star Trek: Discovery.  Amazon has some titles that I love (that some people might not) such as: The Last Tycoon and Good Girls Revolt.  My point is that original content is becoming quite good.  I guess content has always been “original”.  But what I means is that it’s created by Netflix or Amazon.  You’ve been watching television for years that’s technically original.  But it doesn’t feel the same, to me.  There’s something about it that’s different.  All I have to say is House of Cards, and if you’ve watched it you know what I’m talking about.  I understand why Netflix has had to raise these prices.  I don’t think that we’ve seen the end of it.  It will be interesting to see what these prices look like in a year or two.