this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024
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Netflix Hints at Price Increases, Plans to Retire Basic Service Amid Ad-Tier Growth::Netflix says subscriptions to its ad-supported service grew by 70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023.

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[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 66 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Why not? They saw subscriber count go up after blocking shared accounts. Not like people give a shit.

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 25 points 10 months ago

People on average will roll over and take most anything.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

I predicted exactly this when they first announced cheaper subscriptions with ads. People were raving that they'd abandon Netflix, because of price hikes commercials and preventing unlimited shared accounts. I suppose some did, but more was added with the cheaper option. So 100% a gain for Netflix. I even considered buying stock in Netflix, but didn't in part because the stock market was pretty shaky at the time. But it would have been a decent investment.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That actually false. They lost subscribers in the areas where the change took place

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

Check numbers after a quarter or two. Many of them will be back.

[–] Kepabar@startrek.website 62 points 10 months ago (1 children)

18 billion yearly profit last I checked.

Not enough.

Never enough.

[–] dugmeup@lemmy.world 56 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The enshittification continues

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 6 points 10 months ago

It's called rent-seeking. There's already a well studied term for the phenomenon. I'm happy that young people are starting to recognize it, but this isn't anything new. This is how capitalism works.

[–] rando895@lemmy.ml 47 points 10 months ago

What I find interesting is it seems like we are again converging on the same service as cable. Which suggests that the best method of profiting off watching movies/tv at home is to have ad supported entertainment, with a monthly fee.

Once again, the profit motive ruins something good .

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 43 points 10 months ago

I plan to retire Netflix amid ad growth.

Fuck off Netflix.

[–] escapedgoat@lemmy.world 28 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Netflix already costs over $185 a year. For that price I can rent 6 5k UHD movies a month at redbox and get much higher quality viewing. I can't find 6 good things to watch any given month on Netflix. I might turn my membership back on for the final season of Cobra Kai or Stranger Things, but there's just not much else that's compelling me to spend that money.

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And rip those disc's while you're at it...

[–] TK420@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

With what type of software? Oh, MakeMKV, that sounds simple and easy!

[–] maccentric@sh.itjust.works 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Redbox is still a thing? Huh

[–] TK420@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Discs are way better than streams if you care about quality.

[–] instamat@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

This guy discs

[–] maccentric@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago

No doubt, but I haven’t seen a Redbox since like before covid

[–] feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I hate shareholder capitalism.

[–] SuperCub@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago

That's just capitalism.

[–] Vertelleus@sh.itjust.works 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I only had Netflix because it was ~~free~~ included with my T-Maybe account. They are switching it to the ad supported tier today as base, and a user has to pay extra for the non-ad supported tiers.

My plan going forward is to watch the first episode with ads and if I like it I'll search the high seas for the rest.

The enshitification continues.

[–] sudoroot@lemmy.zip 5 points 10 months ago

Once they changed it to paying that like $1 extra for the plan, I noped off TMobile. No use for it anymore when Google Fi is way cheaper for just 2 people. I just pirated everything anyways even when we had the subscription

[–] SomeGuy69@lemmy.world 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Lol at the people still paying. Learn to use the internet.

[–] essteeyou@lemmy.world -4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

If everyone learned to "use the internet" and stopped paying then there would be nothing to pay for because nobody works for free.

[–] CriticalMiss@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If everyone learned to use the internet then those companies would have to adapt in order to survive.

[–] essteeyou@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

How would they adapt to offer stuff for cheaper than free?

[–] CriticalMiss@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Because piracy isn’t a pricing issue, it’s a service issue. If people can get a better service for free, then that’s what they’re going to do. It’s the same reason people go to McDonalds, everyone can make a mid burger at home, but McDs has already done it and will sell it at a price some people will find reasonable. If I could go to Netflix, pay them whatever it costs right now and actually watch the content at a resolution I actually paid for and download to keep myself a copy for later (because again, I bought it) then I’d pay for Netflix. Seeing as that’s not the case and likely won’t be because people keep paying for Netflix, we’re stuck with the status quo.

[–] O_i@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Obligatory, “if it happens I’m out” post

For reals though fuck these gonks

[–] Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

Just like when they banned shared accounts too I bet.

[–] DoctorButts@kbin.melroy.org 3 points 10 months ago

Corpo rat scum

[–] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

We've really been weighing whether we use Netflix enough to justify the cost lately. Don't push us, Netflix.

[–] braxy29@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

been free for two or three years. i haven't missed a thing, as far as i can tell.

[–] white_shotgun@aussie.zone 4 points 10 months ago

Yo ho ho and a bottle of netflix

[–] r00ty@kbin.life 4 points 10 months ago

Hahaha. If they remove the "basic" which I believe is standard since that's the lowest I see. Only leaving the Premium option then I'm afraid I'm going to pull a full dragon's den.

I really did like Netflix, but they're just getting greedy and trying to extract blood from stone now. And for that reason, I'll be out should they remove the standard tier.

[–] Tier1BuildABear@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Isn't this like actually the 5th or 6th price hike in the last year? I already cancelled Netflix when they cracked down on password sharing but this just feels like they're trying to lose customers

[–] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

They smell the blood in the water now.

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago
[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 0 points 10 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Netflix says it had a second straight quarter of strong growth in its ad-supported tier, though the business is still in its infancy.

The ad tier has gotten large enough, however, for the company to start retiring its cheapest ad-free option later this year.

Co-CEO Greg Peters said on the company’s earnings call that the ad tier has 23 million monthly active users in the 12 countries where it offers the plans, and he expects that number to continue growing.

Peters also noted that promotional bundles, à la wireless provider T-Mobile’s “Netflix on Us” deal, can help drive subscriber growth.

It will retire the plan — currently the least expensive ad-free option at Netflix — for all subscribers in Canada and the U.K. in the spring “and tak[e] it from there,” the company says in its letter to shareholders.

Netflix’s advertising team, led by Amy Reinhard, will have a lot more inventory to offer up in 2025, when it becomes the home of the WWE’s flagship program, Monday Night Raw.


The original article contains 442 words, the summary contains 169 words. Saved 62%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] Snapz@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago

"Trump hints at fascist plans..."

It ain't a hint.

[–] fubarx@lemmy.ml -2 points 10 months ago

Noticed we haven't watched anything on it in a while. Was about to cancel it and then saw the ad for The Last Airbender live action, coming end of February.

If they drop the whole season, will binge-watch, then cancel.