Rant Is anyone else annoyed that Netflix is raising their prices again?

[ultimatebob]

Check out their stand-up comedy if thats something you find worthy of watching.

Heres a list of all their performers and specials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Netflix_original_stand-up_comedy_specials

I watch those on occasion. There aren't a lot of new ones for 2020, though, and I'm imagine that the ones that are released would be pretty political.

 

[Aikouka]

I think the hardest thing for me in regard to Netflix is that I also have YouTube Premium (part of my Google Play / YouTube Music subscription), and frankly, I get a lot more out of YouTube than I do Netflix. (It's also cheaper.) Sure, the content isn't really the same type of content, but I don't think that really matters as the content still fills the same purpose. I also end up with the same benefit as promoted by people in this thread... ad-free viewing.

 

[manly]

I'd have to check, but I dropped Netflix about 3 years ago.

It was a steal. Netflix was stealing from its future. To fund that ridiculously low price it was charging, Netflix was going into debt ($14 billion as of April). The amount it was charging wasn't even close to what they were spending on content. They could continue to add debt because for every piece of content they added, they treated it like an asset. Unfortunately most of the content is a crappy asset and eventually banks will want their money, so they will continue to have to raise prices.

Good analysis, but it's virtually impossible for them to raise prices enough to keep up with their LT debt accumulation. Most likely they have two difficult options to drive revenue growth: policing account sharing or advertising.
I don't think they'll police out-of-household account sharing because that would easily blow up in their faces.
You could say the same about advertising, but I wouldn't be surprised if they came up with an ad model that works. Using YouTube for comparison, ads are ubiquitous but you can skip most ads after 5 seconds.

At the end of the day, content is king so if they manage to create enough good content, people will pay for it and even tolerate limited advertising.

 

[sdifox]

lol my satellite tv bill used to be 120 a month. People bitching about 20 a month?

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

What is the cost now, $14 per month?

Before Netflix the only other option was going to Blockbuster or Hollywood video. I remember back then in the early 2000s a movie rental was $4-$5. Accounting for inflation that's probably $5-6 today, so that Netflix plan is basically 2-3 movie rentals per month. When you look at it that way it's not so bad.

EDIT - at the same time you have to consider if you would have cable TV if Netflix didn't exist. I feel like Netflix has really hurt cable TV subscriptions, so you could argue that for some people the cost of Netflix is much cheaper than having cable TV.

You can't really compare it to those. You went to Blockbuster and Hollywood video - and more recently RedBox when you want a theatrical movie shortly after it's released to DVD.

Netflix doesn't get new flicks the moment they are released to video (from what I know, at least - feel free to correct me).

 

[Red Squirrel]

lol my satellite tv bill used to be 120 a month. People bitching about 20 a month?

$20 for now. It was $8 before. If they keep raising it all the time next thing you know it will be 60, then 100, then 120 etc. Cable (and lot of stuff really) used to be cheap back in the day until they kept raising the prices. They do it slowly so people don't care. Like slowly boiling a frog. People say "it's just inflation" yes and why is inflation ok? It should not be accepted. Everything keeps going up including stuff that's essential like food, utilities etc, which means we have less and less money left over at the end of the day while these corporate execs are making billions. If you go back quite a few decades ago, it was very common for the wife to stay home and husband to work, and eventually retire early. But now everything costs so much that both have to work, and retire late. And even then most people have trouble making ends meet.

 

[sdifox]

$20 for now. It was $8 before. If they keep raising it all the time next thing you know it will be 60, then 100, then 120 etc. Cable (and lot of stuff really) used to be cheap back in the day until they kept raising the prices. They do it slowly so people don't care. Like slowly boiling a frog. People say "it's just inflation" yes and why is inflation ok? It should not be accepted. Everything keeps going up including stuff that's essential like food, utilities etc, which means we have less and less money left over at the end of the day while these corporate execs are making billions. If you go back quite a few decades ago, it was very common for the wife to stay home and husband to work, and eventually retire early. But now everything costs so much that both have to work, and retire late. And even then most people have trouble making ends meet.

I'll worry when it reaches 40.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'll worry when it reaches 40.

Give it 10 years.

 

[sdifox]

Give it 10 years.

Lol I wouldn't care then

 

[ultimatebob]

lol my satellite tv bill used to be 120 a month. People bitching about 20 a month?

Kinda missing the point... the price doubled in the past 10 years, but the content hasn't improved. If anything, it's getting worse.

In other words, it's slowly turning into HBO. Hell... Netflix even has its own obnoxious weekly news/comedy show now like HBO, but even that seems to have slowed down post COVID.

 

[sdifox]

Kinda missing the point... the price doubled in the past 10 years, but the content really hasn't improved.

In other words, it's slowly turning into HBO. Hell... it even has its own obnoxious weekly news/comedy show now like HBO, but even that seems to have slowed down post COVID.

You always have the option of cancelling. Remember that ten year inflation of 19.4% .

 

[Meghan54]

Kinda missing the point... the price doubled in the past 10 years, but the content hasn't improved. If anything, it's getting worse.

In other words, it's slowly turning into HBO. Hell... Netflix even has its own obnoxious weekly news/comedy show now like HBO, but even that seems to have slowed down post COVID.

Wouldn't you say you're getting slightly ahead of yourself in your characterization of where we are vis a vis
Covid?

 

[sdifox]

Wouldn't you say you're getting slightly ahead of yourself in your characterization of where we are vis a vis
Covid?

I think he meant after COVID hit.

 

[13Gigatons]

I get Netflix once a year and binge the few shows I really want to catch up on.

 

[soulcougher73]

Not worried. Won’t even notice the extra $2.

 

[Captante]

I cancelled Netflix over a year ago because they just didn't have enough content I actually cared about watching.

Was considering re-upping for a month or two to catch up just the other day.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Started running out of some things to watch and ended up taking up Schitt's Creek from Netflix recently.

It's a semi-entertaining show as long as you try to remember not to think during it and realize how dumb it is.

 

[sdifox]

Started running out of some things to watch and ended up taking up Schitt's Creek from Netflix recently.

It's a semi-entertaining show as long as you try to remember not to think during it and realize how dumb it is.

Wait until you realise it's Canadian

 

[clamum]

Ugh. I'm thinking I'll just switch to the standard plan, from the 4K one.

I don't watch it much like I used to anyway. I watch YouTube more than Netflix + Prime Video + Hulu combined.

I was laid off due to the Covid crap so saving money is probably smart.

 

[zinfamous]

The thing is that I wouldn't mind the price increases if they had the content to back it up... but they don't. Their selection of recent movies sucks now. It also seems that for every good show they have like Narcos, they have a dozen filler crap shows that aren't even up to basic cable TV standards. They've probably put out about 30 hours total of quality content this year.

yeah, that's very true. They still put together some gems, but so much of it is just chaff that most people will never know exists (mercifully). Losing the Disney/Fox whatever content doesn't help.

They had a pretty good thing going with their annual Marvel series for a few years, not that they were particularly special, but at least entertaining, and now that is completely gone.

I still pay for it, though. No plans to stop. I have an antenna, so it's basically Netflix and Prime for me. I never paid for 4K service. Doesn't seem worth it for cost and I can't imagine it is close to being decent enough on a proper display.

 

[LikeLinus]

$20 for now. It was $8 before. If they keep raising it all the time next thing you know it will be 60, then 100, then 120 etc. Cable (and lot of stuff really) used to be cheap back in the day until they kept raising the prices. They do it slowly so people don't care. Like slowly boiling a frog. People say "it's just inflation" yes and why is inflation ok? It should not be accepted. Everything keeps going up including stuff that's essential like food, utilities etc, which means we have less and less money left over at the end of the day while these corporate execs are making billions. If you go back quite a few decades ago, it was very common for the wife to stay home and husband to work, and eventually retire early. But now everything costs so much that both have to work, and retire late. And even then most people have trouble making ends meet.

Sorry, you're a straight up manipulator and liar. It never went from $8 to $20. "Its standard plan is now $14 a month, up $1 a month from last year. Its premium subscription will go up $2 to $18 a month. Its basic plan remains unchanged at $9 a month." Basic is $9 .It didn't go from $8 to $20. It's not even $20, at all. It's $18.

There are so many flaws in your argument that I'm totally not surprised that you blame people who make more money than you. The problem that you don't have money left over after paying your utilities? How about get a real job?

Sure, feel free to compare the ability of women to stay at home or work vs. decades ago. You're too stupid to realize that the Feminism and the women's movement totally changed the their ability/want to stay at home and let the husband work.

Plus, even despite your lack of mathematics, understand economy, and women's rights, you're too stupid to even understand you're apparently too poor to afford this LUXURY. Netflix isn't a requirement. I know you feel those very nice utilities are "required", but the fact that you are comparing Netflix to necessities (at least in theory) that they are the same, LOL.

"Go back a few decades ago", it's the most ridiculous argument!. Do you also complain that a coke cost $0.5 vs over a $1 today??? I bet you also complain that you cant get a Porsche for a few thousand vs. $100k. Am I right?

Honestly, this was the most ignorant post I've seen in awhile. Great for a laugh.

FYI: You don't have to retire late if you learn to earn money, invest in a 401K, save and choose good investments. This doesn't just happen on it's on. If you;'re not able to do that, I completely understand. But, guess what? Your dumb ass shouldn't be complaining on a forum on your costly internet about the cost of your streaming service and other luxuries. You shouldn't be here if times are so hard. You should be saving your money and taking care of your family and/or yourself.

 

[manly]

Well, that escalated rather quickly.

 

[Red Squirrel]

18 x 1.13 = 20.34. It's $20 if you factor in the tax.

And getting riled up over $2 is beyond the point. The whole point was the fact that it used to be $8 and now it keeps going up every few years. Every company does this, they bring their stuff up a few dollars hoping people don't notice, but because of it we keep having to pay more for everything. It's a widespread issue.

 

[ch33zw1z]

^^ yea, you either cut costs or increase prices to drive shareholder value, that's how it works.

 

[zinfamous]

I watch those on occasion. There aren't a lot of new ones for 2020, though, and I'm imagine that the ones that are released would be pretty political.

They released a ton of these during March-June. I don't recall any of them (that I watched, anyway), being political.