Netflix price increase for UK customers

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Netflix has confirmed that customers in the UK will now have to pay more for their subscriptions.

The standard tariff, which means you can stream TV shows and movies to two devices at the same time, was £7.99 but will now be £8.99.

The premium tariff, which lets you stream to four devices, will increase by £2 to £11.99.

The basic subscription currently costs users £5.99 and is the only one that will stay the same.

The price increases will be rolled out over the next few weeks to existing customers, while new members will pay the higher charges immediately.

Prices for the streaming service last went up in October 2017.

Netflix says that from time to time they have to increase the cost “to reflect the significant investments we’ve made in new TV shows and films.”

Image caption

A comparison of streaming services in February 2019

Netflix is responsible for bringing us series including Stranger Things, The Crown and Black Mirror, which is returning for season five in just a few days.

The changing face of streaming

With Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Apple, and even the BBC and ITV getting involved, there will soon be plenty of streaming options.

But Shona Ghosh, senior tech reporter at Business Insider, thinks the future of how we watch TV might actually end up looking familiar.

“With all these different companies offering streaming, you may eventually end up paying for something that looks a bit like your parents’ Sky or cable service from 10 or 15 years ago.”

Netflix has around 10 million users in the UK and has invested hundreds of millions of pounds into UK content, but experts think not all of them will survive the competition.

“I think there will be some companies that do fall by the wayside,” explains Shona Ghosh.

“Netflix is spending a lot of money producing great content – whether it can keep it up remains to be seen.”

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