Netflix Hikes UK Prices, With Cheapest Plan Jumping A Third

It’s become pricier to watch Love Is Blind and The Gentlemen in the UK after Netflix upped its prices, hiking the monthly cost of its cheapest package by a third. The changes narrow the pricing gap between Netflix’s cheapest ad-supported tier and its top-level plan. The streamer’s new UK pricing kicked in yesterday, September 3, with little fanfare. It last put up the cost of subscribing in February. Specifically, the cost of the Standard with Ads plan has risen 33.4% from £5.99 ($8.10) to £7.99 ($10.81) a month. The price for the Standard tier is up 7.7% from £12.99 to £13.99, while Premium has gone from £18.99 to £20.99, a 10.5% uptick. The pricing applies to new and existing customers. Netflix has over 18M subs in the UK. Watch on Deadline Confirming the changes to Deadline, Netflix said the price rises “reflect improvements to our wide range of entertainment and the quality of our service.” The streamer’s statement added: “Our approach remains the same: we continue offering a range of prices and plans to meet a variety of needs, and as we deliver more value to our members, we reinvest in quality entertainment and improve their experience by updating our prices.” It added: “We know members have never had more choices in entertainment, and we’re committed to delivering an experience that meets and exceeds their expectations.” It is certainly correct to say UK consumers have a wide range of free and paid-for choices for TV. The news comes in the same week that telco giant VodafoneThree announced it is rolling out Vodafone TV, a new service launching in October that sees free channels bundled with Netflix and HBO Max, and which will also offer access to AVOD services such as Tubi. Consumers will always rail against price rises, but there is particular sensitivity in the UK at the moment amid talk of a ‘cost of living crisis’ that spans everything from fuel to food to entertainment.