If you’re not the one who pays for your Netflix account, you probably hear about it from your parents.
The price to use Netflix has increased exponentially. Netflix’s prices have grown to the point it is impossible to ignore.
Netflix is a film-streaming service known globally for its wide variety of movies and TV shows. Though it’s not as known, Netflix sports a DVD and BlueRay-by-mail service – each and every one of its means of distribution, both online and delivery, is being hit with an onslaught of monthly fee inflation.
For the online service, the change in money due is significantly more. They have three tiers of plans: the Basic plan, providing one device to watch at a time, the Standard plan (two simultaneous device watching), and finally – the Premium Plan, which provides space for four different devices on Netflix at a time. Their three subscription plans’ prices swell based on what their viewers gain for committing to the plan. In the Basic plan, the price rose from paying $11 a month to $12. Similar to the Basic plan, the Standard plan’s price rose from $14 to $16 a month. And following the pattern, the Premium plan’s price ballooned from being $17 a month to $21. It’s one thing to know the change that was addressed to commence this year, but it’s another to understand why. Netflix announced that the increase in its United States viewer monthly payment would start the ninth of January this year, but why?
Netflix works with many different producers to continue running the shows we love. Friends, a hilarious and often satirical TV show is a favorite to a large chunk of Netflix’s subscribers. Upon the arrival of 2020, Friends was ripped from Netflix’s hold, leaving many of its viewers in a state of shock. Some viewers even claim Friends was the only reason they subscribed to Netflix. Others saw its departure on January 1st of 2020 as a bad omen for the rest of the year. Because their streaming ownership of Friends was scheduled to time out at the end of 2019, our window of easy access through Netflix is over.
Needless to say, the pleading crowds of people haven’t been able to swoon Netflix into bringing Friends back. Yet. YET. However, Netflix’s high prices haven’t come without reason. From the surface, it looks as though Netflix’s collapse is very near. It has been leaking out millions since the start and the future holds more lost riches, about $2 million said to be lost next year. From the inflated prices, Netflix is picking up speed against the many competitors battling it out for the most subscribers. Other streaming services such as Hulu, HBO, and Prime Video are gaining followers and are strengthening their streaming services. Services arriving this year, including Apple TV and Disney+, are capturing the people’s attention and devouring the pillars that hold up Netflix. What makes Netflix unique to other media providers is that it uses a software capable of molding itself to your movie interests. Netflix is made up of hundreds upon hundreds of films and TV shows, a majority that some of us have never seen before. By using our viewing activity, Netflix displays the movies and TV shows that we would most likely click on. With that, the small categories and sub-genres that subscribers have not yet discovered remain unseen. By expanding our horizons, we can be exposed to the reason why Netflix has requested more from its users. Netflix, with its intelligent recommendation software, is the very obstacle that deters us from discovering Netflix’s potential.
The hidden gems that are buried beneath the piles of the money used to pay for our Netflix are the Netflix Originals. Sure, some may say that they are not worth it, stating that they aren’t worth how much they pay for Netflix. In other circumstances, I would agree. But, with binge-worthy Netflix shows like pop culture phenomenon Stranger Things and the book to screen adaptation You, as well as movies like Bird Box, it is hard to silence the siren calls of a late-night Netflix marathon.
Netflix has a lot more potential than we realize, and we don’t give it the credit it deserves. The inflated monthly payment is not nearly as bad as it has been made to seem. With hundreds of undiscovered films and unforgettable Netflix creations, it is hard to stay angry at Netflix for long. Exploring the nooks and crannies is how we can expand taste in movie genres, as well as be exposed to hidden miracles Netflix quietly possesses. Of course, there comes a time where you might question to what extent your Netflix subscription is worth it. In that case, the choice is left to you on which streaming service is the most suitable for you. If the many budding Netflix Original series are not your go-to entertainment, perhaps one of the new streaming services of the year suits you better. This modern era is, what some say, the peak of entertainment media, and I’m afraid it is getting better! The endless of opportunities don’t just stop at what to watch, no. Where to watch it has brought just as much conflict. Each entertainment provider has a future which resides in the hands of its subscribers or, in other words – you! The future of entertainment is in your hands – good luck!
