Netflix is hiking the price of some of its UK subscriptions from next month in a move to reflect money spent on content.
The standard monthly package, which allows users to stream in HD on two devices at the same time and download to two phones or tablets, will go up from £8.99 to £9.99. Its premium plan, which enables streaming on up to four screens at once as well as offering 4K streaming and downloading to four phones or tablets, will go up from £11.99 to £13.99.
A spokesperson said [via BBC News]: “This year we’re spending over $1bn [£736m] in the UK on new, locally-made films, series and documentaries, helping to create thousands of jobs and showcasing British storytelling at its best – with everything from The Crown, to Sex Education and Top Boy, plus many, many more.
“Our price change reflects the significant investments we’ve made in new TV shows and films, as well as improvements to our product.”
The streaming giant’s basic plan, which allows users to watch content in standard definition on only one device and download to one mobile or tablet, will remain at £5.99.
Netflix. Credit: Alamy
The amount of streaming content watched by users in the UK rose by a third in the first coronavirus lockdown of March 2020. Netflix faces competition from a growing number of rivals, including Disney+, which launched in the UK last March and has also announced price hikes of £2 per month.
Netflix users are able to shift to the basic package should they not want to pay more, or they can cancel their subscription.
HBO saw one of the biggest demographic drops. More than half of its adult 18-49 linear audience disappeared last year following the conclusion of its hit drama Game Of Thrones.
Variety reported that it was not all bad news for linear viewing, however, by showing that US cable news networks including CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox benefitted from viewings boosts in 2020 thanks to big news stories. Fox News Channel, for example, reported a 43 per cent jump in viewing figures.
