As of January, Netflix, a streaming service beloved by fans, has created three new subscription plans. One plan includes a lower price but includes advertisements, while the others withhold advertisements, but at a higher price.
Netflix is known for its variety of genres of TV shows and movies, without advertisements with the purchase of the streaming service. The old, basic plan for Netflix was $9.99 per month. However, with the switch to ad-supporting plans, there are now three different options. The cheapest one, which is standard with ads, costs $6.99 per month. The second plan is the standard plan without ads, which costs $15.49 and the last is the premium plan, which costs $22.99. Each of these plans offers different features. “I think Netflix adding new subscription plans is beneficial because it allows for more people to purchase it and at a cheaper price,” freshman Caleb Cook said.
According to the Netflix Help Center, the ad-supported plan offers all but a few movies and TV shows, unlimited mobile games, streaming and downloads on two supported devices at a time, and full HD quality. The standard plan offers unlimited ad-free movies, TV shows, mobile games, streaming and download support on two devices at the same time, full HD and the option to add one extra member to the account profile who is not streaming from the same location. The premium plan offers unlimited ad-free movies, TV shows, mobile games, streaming on four supported devices at a time, downloads on six supported devices at a time, ultra HD, Netflix spatial audio and the option to add up to two extra members to the account profile who are streaming from a different location. “I think more people will buy the standard or premium plan because the whole thing behind Netflix was that it didn’t have advertisements,” sophomore Addison Purivs said.
In comparison to other popular streaming services including Max, Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Hulu and Disney Plus, Netflix’s prices still stand at the highest. According to BuySide from the Wall Street Journal, streaming services average between $6-10 per month for the ad-supported plans and $12-18 per month for the ad-free plans. Bundle packs are also offered, which include two or more streaming services for a cheaper price than buying them all separately. However, with Netflix’s increase in prices, users may be interested in switching platforms. “I don’t see the point in paying that much money just to watch Netflix without ads. I’d rather spend less money and get access to more streaming services. I think Netflix made a mistake in switching their prices. ” sophomore Bryson Filbert said.
People may still be interested in paying the more expensive price for the ad-free Netflix subscription plan because the service provides Netflix Original shows and movies, which are not available anywhere else. “It’s a bit frustrating Netflix raised their prices for ad-free streaming, however, I’m willing to pay because I think Netflix has the best variety of shows to watch,” freshman Elli Zelivinski said.
