When Netflix first emerged, it provided an answer to the growing frustrations with existing services like Blockbuster and its outdated model and really helped give rise to the modern online streaming platforms that exist today. As other services that were typically based offline move to online platforms, such as betting services particularly recently as users take advantage of deals and use this bet365 bonus code for example, it helps evolve online options – but many in entertainment have started to suffer from their own success, and Netflix recent price hikes and other adjustments are set to frustrate users in the entertainment space.
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Whilst the basic pricing still remains low enough to be accessible at just £7 in the UK, not offering what should be baseline in HD content and only having access on one device just isn’t enough for most, the same is true for the Standard pricing at £11, whilst allowing HD content, only having access on two devices may not be enough where laptops, smart TVs, smartphones, and tablets are concerned. The now increased pricing at £16 per month for the Premium version, allowing up to 4 devices to be used with UltraHD had often been the go-to choice, but with the lack of new content updates and cancellation of shows in recent years, the near £200 per year simply doesn’t seem worth it for many users as subscription cancellations have been growing.
The latest push from Netflix has been a suggestion that users may have to pay an additional fee for each individual on the account – so even at the premium pricing model, if it’s a shared account across the family there may still be an additional cost to pay per person using the account and going against what it was that made Netflix great when it launched. It’s the latest in the line of tech giants that are adjusting for profit, rather than for the user, and what’s leading to a slip back to piracy alternatives.
It was once said that piracy in the tech space was a problem with the service, and not with pricing, and this is being shown to be true once again as companies record incredible profit but seem to be cutting back on the basics and baseline features, and instead promoting a more expensive premium version which often simply isn’t worth the cost – being the most public currently, Netflix may be hurting its own reputation given the successes found from competition on Disney+ for example, and favoring a more greedy approach could be the final nail for the users who were on the fence whether to cut or continue.