Netflix price hike.

[[SS]Midnight]

The greedy scoundrel are separating DVD and Streaming services so they can charge more.

So my $10/mo plan for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs (1 at a time) will change to 1 streaming plan for $8 and a separate $8 plan for the 1 at a time unlimited DVDs for a total of $16/mo. A $6 increase charge for what I am getting now. What kind of backwards business is this? They are supposed to, in this time financial strain, find ways to make things cheaper not more expensive!

From my email:
We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into two separate plans to better reflect the costs of each. Now our members have a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan, or both.

Your current $9.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be split into 2 distinct plans:

Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month
Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 1 out at-a-time (no streaming) for $7.99 a month

Your price for getting both of these plans will be $15.98 a month ($7.99 + $7.99). You don't need to do anything to continue your memberships for both unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs.

These prices will start for charges on or after September 1, 2011.

I marked my calendar to cancel one or the other service. I may reconsider Hulu again.

I used to be able to get BluRay for free, then they decided to charge an extra $1 for that. I did not go for it any more than I will go for this price hike. They just do not have a good enough movie selection for me to shell out more.

[[SS]Rator]

Stupid. I'll be cancelling my dvd script. Stupid for them to do since most people will probly follow suit and cancel dvds. They'll make less money too since they used to get 10, and now just 8. I'll get my new movies off of FIOS if i really need to see them.

[[SS]Showstoper]

Yeah, that's kinda wack. Rip-off...But someone who really likes me, hooks me up.

[[SS]Wally]

cancelling DVD as we speak.

[Tagger]

If Netflix had a better streaming selection, I would probably renew just that part of the service. They don't have enough content yet to keep me coming back.

[[SS]Chief]

I've 'only' been streaming since it was hard to get DVD's while living in Italy. What I have noticed for example....

Dexter -- It was on Netflix as streaming for seasons 1 - 3. For whatever reason I went back to see if they've posted up Season 4 yet since what Season 6 is on TV...and they took down ALL season's of the show.

I'm not sure why? So far streaming haas been great. Granted, I don't get the 'new' content...but it fills in the gaps when there is nothing on the Tube.

[[SS]Midnight]

Dexter is an awesome show. Season 6 just starting filming in Ca. and will probably come to TV in the Fall I think. My wife and I got real addicted to it.

Anyway we use Netflix instead of TV. It is like 1/8th-1/10th the price for equivalent content in a TV package. So this debacle is a big blow to our entertainment options.

OXM had some rather good advice for Netflix to compensate a bit for this radical price change: http://t.co/N39gkHm

[AEJustin1]

I only stream anyways, there is a ton of stuff on streaming now tagger. I know they just got Star Trek on stream, TOS, TNG, Voyager and Enterprise.

[[SS]Midnight]

I am currently running through Voyager. That was the one I liked the most.

[[SS]Switters]

Showstoper;143868']Yeah, that's kinda wack. Rip-off...But someone who really likes me, hooks me up.

i got'chu boo! no worries, im not worried about the price change though one of the things happening, or it has happened recently is sony is pulling all of its films from the netflix library. if that has happened or is going to happen, that would suck, limit netflix's library even more.

edit-here's a link to an article on yahoo news about the price increase, the article reads like they are trying to force dvd customers to make the switch to the streaming service...

http://news.yahoo.com/behind-increase-why-netflix-raising-prices-094058403.html

[[SS]Midnight]

Well I tell you what. I believe in this statement from that article:
"Netflix's future is not in the DVDs," he said. "Netflix's future is in the business of premium pay television delivered over the Internet."
And if they do in fact capitalize on that then it will all be worth it. With this move they made (price increase on the DVD plans) and everyone (most anyway) cancelling that service they have severely lowered their movie selection. They need to improve the streaming service selection or they will begin to rapidly grind down their business.

[[SS]Sabotage]

lol I don't pay either one of those and will still get both. They may be greedy, but they also do some pretty cool stuff.

Also note for thought, I'm pretty sure they lose a lot of money because of the licensing fees they have been paying to get movies and shows on their stream list faster to compete with red box, blockbuster, and hulu. This may be where the separation comes from.

[[SS]Grifter]

Midnight;144091']Well I tell you what. I believe in this statement from that article:

And if they do in fact capitalize on that then it will all be worth it. With this move they made (price increase on the DVD plans) and everyone (most anyway) cancelling that service they have severely lowered their movie selection. They need to improve the streaming service selection or they will begin to rapidly grind down their business.

Agreed. I'm waiting to see what their streaming service will look like before I make any decisions on my account. I also just got AppleTV, and to be honest, I'm kind of impressed with it so I may just stick with that. They have new releases ready to stream on day 1, where as with Netflix I have to wait a couple of months for the DVD because they're only streaming movies a year old.

[[SS]Shooter]

I realize the principal of the thing but damn it's only $6/month more.

That's like one cup of Starbucks.

Personally, I have DISH Network so I don't use Netflix.

[[SS]Grifter]

the $6 doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that they're saying to now do one, the other or both. But going streaming only is kind of not an option if you want to watch the latest films. And if you don't want to wait the 3 days for it to be delivered, the DVD/BluRay option only is kind of shitty as well. Getting the option for having both is like a 60% price increase. So I can understand some people being pretty irked over it.

[[SS]Rator]

theyre charging us $6 more for the EXACT same thing we already have. thats straight up rape.

[[SS]Midnight]

It's not that it is $6 more. It is that they quadrupled the price. 400% price increase. From $2 to $8.


If stamps jumped to $4.0 to mail one piece of paper through the standard mail instead of the $0.42 (? I think that is the current price) well that is WAY less than $6. Way less than a cup of coffee. But it would still remain a ridiculous price hike.

Just like Netflix.

There is no reasonable justification that I can see for this. The price of delivering the DVDs has not increased by 400% all of the sudden. They should have planned a more gradual rate increase than they did. Unless of course they are trying to get away from the DVDs entirely. Only in that case does this really make sense to me.

[[SS]Grifter]

the reason for the price hike is because the cost of the licensing is also going to go up for them by hundreds of millions of dollars. People also forget, Netflix just raised their rates this past November from $6.99 to $9.99. So in 10 months, their price has jumped from $6.99 to $15.99. Throw in the lack of streaming movies, and it's just not worth it. In order for me to justify the cost of continuing to use it on the plan I have now, they'd have to be able to stream everything - new releases and old movies alike. Just like their competitors.