Once again, Aussies are forking out more for the big red streamer, with another price hike coming to Netflix in June. After experiencing several (inflated) price hikes since its debut in 2015, this will see the streamer up subscription costs across all tiers, leaving no stones unturned.
In emails sent out to Netflix subscribers over the past week, the platform provided details on the price increase that will commence with the next billing cycle, effectively giving customers 30 days notice. According to Netflix's Help page, the platform says "as we continue to add more TV shows and movies and introduce new product features, our plans and prices may change". The streamer also notes that it may "adjust plans and pricing to respond to local market changes, such as changes to local taxes or inflation".
In the email we received, Netflix said it was adding over 96 movies and television shows in June alone — however, it failed to explain how or why that would impact the price for consumers, as no other features are changing in the plans.
Netflix’s Standard, Standard with ads and Premium plans have all experienced a slurry of hikes over the years. Initially, prices for a basic plan were AU$8.99p/m, which then bumped up to AU$10.99p/m before it was scrapped in favour of the ad-supported plan in October 2023. The cheapest ad-supported tier will now increase by another AU$1 from AU$6.99p/m to AU$7.99p/m next month.
The Standard plan has also fluctuated, starting out at AU$10.99 and eventually reaching AU$16.99p/m. Thanks to this new hike, Standard subscribers will now see a AU$2 increase on their Netflix bill, bringing its price to an all-time high of AU$18.99.
However, the premium plan has spiked the most, costing users only AU$14.99 when it debuted. Now, users can expect to fork out AU$11 more starting next month, to an eyewatering AU$25.99p/m — making it one of the most expensive streaming plans on the market.
Just when we thought the cost-of-living pressures were slowly subsiding, this Netflix news follows other streaming services — namely Disney Plus, Stan and Prime Video — introducing price hikes and ad-supported tiers earlier this year. While other streamers have yet to raise prices this year, we can reasonably speculate that others will soon follow suit.
What's included in a Netflix subscription?
While Netflix has yet to confirm whether there are any actual changes being made to its subscription plans next month, we can expect plan features will largely remain the same. For the most part, users on a Standard with ads plan will have access to two screens, downloads on two devices and HD streaming.
The only relatively hidden catch here, other than sitting through four to five minutes of ads every hour, is that subscribers on this plan can’t access Netflix's entire catalogue. Netflix, unfortunately, doesn't reveal which content users on this plan miss out on.
Netflix's Standard plan comes with two simultaneous streams, download to two devices, and full HD again, but this time with no ads. In light of its password-sharing crackdown, Netflix has noted that users can add one extra member outside of their household to this plan, but that comes at a hefty AU$7.99 fee every month.
Netflix's Premium plan allows users to have four screens and streams up to 4K resolution. Unlike the lesser-priced plans, premium subscribers can have unlimited downloads across 6 devices, access Netflix spatial audio and have two extra members for an extra AU$14.99 per month — which could potentially bring up your total spend to a whopping AU$40.98p/m.
If you're not too keen on sticking around for the price hike, you can check out our how to cancel Netflix guide for the easiest way out.
