Netflix to increase pricing tomorrow

[kY]

There are no advertised prices for 3 or 4 DVDs w/o streaming so I guess those aren't offered.
...
But, they refuse to offer a 3 DVD plan so I can't even drop the worthless streaming and save $7.99 (paying 15.99) and keep the same number of disks out at a time!

They -do- offer a 3 DVD plan with the new subscription plans. On your Netflix account pull-down, click on "Change plan", then when it shows you the plan options, there is another link called "Show Additional all DVD Plans". When you click that, it'll show you the no streaming DVD only plans up to 8 DVDs out at-a-time.

I have the streaming + 3 DVD plan now, too, and pay $19.99/mo. This will go up to $23.98 after 9/1 (15.99+7.99).

We rarely use the DVD option but use streaming almost daily. We had to go this route because Netflix gives you 1 default stream + 1 simultaneous stream per DVD you are allowed to have out at-a-time. So, the 3 DVD plan gives us up to 4 simultaneous streams for our 2 kids who watch different content and then 2 simultaneous streams for the exercise bike + TV room.

AFAIK, the new 7.99/mo streaming only option still only entitles you to a single stream. You can register multiple devices but cannot stream concurrently unless you have the DVD plan, too.

 

[cronos]

I guess I'll have to accept that people expect different things from Netflix.

I'm still not clear of what kind of streaming service will get you new movies for streaming faster to when it's out on DVD than Netflix, but since it's not what I'm interested in, I'm just going to let you guys worry about it

I'm in it mostly for the TV shows. There are tons of them that I missed from the past 10 years (or maybe more). Some I've watched a little, some I haven't at all, and they're all there, ready for me to go through completely, in order, on demand, without commercial interruptions. This is like a dream to me. And just when I thought I couldn't possibly watch all of this in a year's time, comes all the Star Trek episodes. Damn it.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

With them shitting up the IW feature I'm bout to just cancel & go back to bootlegging again.

 

[sactoking]

For streaming?

the problem is I signed up for Netflix to get "Horrible Bosses" ASAP when it comes out on disk.

See quote.

 

[sactoking]

snip

Ahh, I totally missed the 'Other options', thanks.

So, $15.99/month for 3 DVD with Netflix or $19.99/month for 3 DVD with BB. With BB I can do game rentals and get Blu-ray. To add BR to netflix if $4/month, making it the same $19.99.

If I want BR then it becomes BB's game selection vs Netflix's DVD selection. If I don't want BR then 3 DVD with Netflix is better.

 

[TheVrolok]

for me, netflix has always been primarily about the dvd's, where their selection can't be beat, and streaming was just a nice bonus add-on for when I was having a slow day at work.

would I enjoy screwing around with some random 90's cartoons for a bit? sure... would I enjoy it so much that I'll pay an extra hundred bucks a year? er, no thanks.

Yeah, for people who are primarily DVD watchers and streaming was just an adjunct, I agree with the outrage. I'm on the opposite side as I don't have the time to watch many of the DVDs anymore, so I just stream, and as such I don't feel nearly the rage.

Raging over a price increase is fine, but raging over the streaming selection is pretty weak.

 

[Sheep]

I'd say Hulu+. Yes, Hulu+ doesn't have quality movies, but then again neither does Netflix streaming. (I'm thinking about you, Land Before Time XII)

You've obviously never used Hulu Plus if you think their selection is superior to that of Netflix. Current shows, yes. Depth, no way. I say this as a Hulu Plus member.

 

[TheVrolok]

See quote.

Ah, I just didn't know if you meant you wanted the stream to available the same day as the disk or what. If you're talking about the fact that NF doesn't have the disk available for a few weeks after the release, again, that is not NF's fault, it's the studios' decision and licensing agreement.

 

[aldamon]

I wouldn't be as upset about this price increase if I didn't believe more price increases were coming. We are not piggy banks for failed streaming strategies.

 

[mizzou]

time to start renting movies from the library

 

[sactoking]

You've obviously never used Hulu Plus if you think their selection is superior to that of Netflix. Current shows, yes. Depth, no way. I say this as a Hulu Plus member.

I've got Hulu+. Current shows are what I'd want to stream. If I really wanted to watch Hogan's Heroes or Leave it to Beaver, they're on disk.

Ah, I just didn't know if you meant you wanted the stream to available the same day as the disk or what. If you're talking about the fact that NF doesn't have the disk available for a few weeks after the release, again, that is not NF's fault, it's the studios' decision and licensing agreement.

I meant that I don't like paying $15+ per person to see a movie in the theater, so I got Netflix so I could get the disk when it comes out. I don't need new releases on streaming; there's only a 1 day turnaround for me on disks from the fulfillment center. I've already waited 2800+ hours for the movie to get on disk, 24 more won't hurt.

I'm not in grade school (or even college) anymore. If I don't see a movie on opening night I won't be ridiculed by the other 10 year olds. Thor is the same today as it will be 4 months from now and by waiting I can get a whole month of 3-at-a-time for the price of 1 ticket to the theater.

 

[ponyo]

Finally the excuse I needed to cancel Netflix. It'll also save me from having to upgrade my jailbroken Apple TV firmware to use Netflix.

Netflix will lose $10 a month from me but they'll make it up from the price increase charged to others. So I guess it's a win-win for me and Netflix.

 

[FoBoT]

tried hulu+ , not much content for me
i'll go netflix streaming only and just get dvd's from redbox if directv doesn't have new something on ppv

 

[Sheep]

I've got Hulu+. Current shows are what I'd want to stream. If I really wanted to watch Hogan's Heroes or Leave it to Beaver, they're on disk.

I signed up for Hulu Plus to catch up on the most recent seasons of House and Bones and watch an occasional episode of the Daily Show or the Colbert Report. Beyond that, I don't see much use for it and will probably be cancelling once I'm caught up on House--the two Comedy Central shows aren't enough to keep me around and there's not much else on there I'd actually watch. Hulu's ads make it seem like they have a lot more new shows available than they actually do.

I'm bummed that a bunch of TV shows I wanted to watch got purged from Netflix (many were Sony properties, apparently), but Hulu doesn't offer a much better solution unless you happen to be a fan of the few shows they do have.

 

[esquared]

Since neither the press release nor the articles actually mention the bulk of the pricing, here it goes:

Unlimited Streaming $7.99
1 DVD $7.99
2 DVD $11.99
Streaming + 1 DVD $15.98
Streaming + 2 DVD $19.98
Streaming + 3 DVD $23.98
Streaming + 4 DVD $29.98
1 DVD (Limited) $4.99

There are no advertised prices for 3 or 4 DVDs w/o streaming so I guess those aren't offered.

For me, I have Streaming + 3 DVD. As of December 2010 I was paying $16.99. In ~8 months' time the price will have gone up 41% for absolutely nothing of value to me. Netflix keeps claiming that they're raising prices for anticipated cost increases in streaming, but their streaming content is just as shitty as it's ever been. But, they refuse to offer a 3 DVD plan so I can't even drop the worthless streaming and save $7.99 (paying 15.99) and keep the same number of disks out at a time!

It's seriously time to start exploring other options.

DVDs only are offered.

Unlimited DVDs (no streaming)

* Exchange DVDs as often as you want
* Click here to add Blu-ray access for an additional cost

* 1 DVD out at-a-time $7.99 a month


* 2 DVDs out at-a-time $11.99 a month

* 3 DVDs out at-a-time $15.99 a month


* 4 DVDs out at-a-time $21.99 a month


* 5 DVDs out at-a-time $27.99 a month


* 6 DVDs out at-a-time $32.99 a month

* 7 DVDs out at-a-time $37.99 a month

* 8 DVDs out at-a-time 43.99 a month

 

[IndyColtsFan]

And just when I thought I couldn't possibly watch all of this in a year's time, comes all the Star Trek episodes. Damn it.

Star Trek, A-Team, Magnum PI, Spartacus (though I think part of it has been removed), Battlestar, Leverage -- so much to watch, so little time.

The wife is mad and wants to cancel (it is her account). I told her if she did, I'd get a streaming-only account. One thing I don't like is that not all episodes of a series are typically streaming. For example, in the A-Team and Tudors, there are definitely episodes which are DVD only. With this new pricing model, I don't expect Netflix to change that.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

I think I might go with the 2 disc Blockbuster plan. I was going to reactivate Gamefly...but for one damn game it's $16 bucks. $17 gets me 2 discs (Blurays AND Games) from Blockbuster and I can do in-store exchanges 5 times a month.

My only worry is availability on new games and movies. Anybody have experience with Blockbusters subscription service?

 

[VenomXTF]

I keep hearing the first part whenever these Netflix threads pop up, "I'll be leaving Netflix and finding my media elsewhere." ... where are you finding it? People complain about Netflix's streaming selection, but that's not even up to NF, it's due to licensing restrictions. Can anyone name a service that provides a selection equal to or better than NF, for a similar or cheaper cost? I'm not NF fanboy, but I don't see a viable alternative .. if there were one, I'd jump ship immediately (as would .. everyone?), but since there isn't I (and most people?) won't be going anywhere.

As for the second part, I completely agree. WTF were they thinking? Awful.

I like to watch shows from start to finish without waiting a week between episodes or a year between seasons. So I watch older shows using Netflix streaming 1 or 2 episodes per night after work while eating dinner or relaxing. My instant queue is pretty much empty now, just a few shows left that I haven't finished yet (Bizzare Foods, Trauma, Survivorman). I'll be done watching them by Sept 1.

Replacement will be Hulu for more current shows (The Office, Colbert, Daily Show, etc)... maybe Hulu Plus if they ever get more shows online. Cost $0.

For new DVD releases, replacement will be Redbox, which gets new releases quicker than Netflix and at $1 per movie will be cheaper than Netflix. I've pretty much seen all older movies I've wanted to, so I'd maybe watch 1-2 new releases a month. Cost $2.

For streaming time waster old movies there is also Hulu, Crackle.com, etc. I also have a collection of a hundred or so DVDs of older movies. Cost $0.

Netflix 1 DVD plan at $7.99 was worth it without streaming to catch up on a bunch of movies I missed, when Blu-rays came out they were free, when streaming came out it was free. Then they started charging extra for Blu-rays, then increasing the plan price to improve streaming. At the same time new releases were now going to be delayed 60 days to get a "better deal" with studios for streaming. Now the price for the 1 DVD/BR plan with streaming is going to be double what it was, but I don't see what exactly I'm getting extra for the price increase. New cost now $18... and what happens in 2012 when contracts for streaming expire and will cost Netflix 10x the current price?

So that's my thinking/reasoning behind my previous statement.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I wouldn't be as upset about this price increase if I didn't believe more price increases were coming. We are not piggy banks for failed streaming strategies.

Well, in this case, shit is going to have to roll uphill to make it change. The content providers are licking their chops -- they underestimated the penetration of streaming technologies when they signed their initial contracts with Netflix, and they won't make that mistake again. I see Netflix is about to expand to far more countries so hopefully, that scale will help to offset the required payments of the new contracts to some extent. Until, of course, the NEXT contract renewal when the content providers say "I see you're in 100 countries now...."

 

[Jumpem]

Looks like I'll be dropping the streaming, and sticking with the two blu-ray plan. The streaming quality is subpar so I don't use it anyway. I'll save $3 a month too.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I just dropped the DVD/BRD plan down to streaming only a couple of weeks ago so no big deal to me. The sad thing is this is probably just the first of many coming price hikes Netflix will be forced to make.

 

[xanis]

I was thinking about getting Netflix but it looks like I'd be better off with a combination of Hulu+ and Vudu (or something). Hulu+ has the entirety of Battlestar Galactica, so I can finally finish the series. Worth the money in my book.

 

[slayer202]

hulu and redbox? you guys are nuts...but whatever floats your boat

 

[Doppel]

What's wrong with watching some awesome 90's cartoons for a bit? I'm asking you again, what is "your stuff" that you can't find. I"m curious because NF streaming has a good bit of everything except new releases which are unavailable for the aforementioned reasons and as such I think it's an inappropriate gripe about the service. If you bought NF to stream new releases then you purchased as an uninformed consumer and have no one to blame but yourself.

My stuff IS new releases. That's more or less all I care about. I've watched *some* good series on instant, and I've used it enough that I got my money's worth, but I've watched everything I care about so at this stage WITHOUT them streaming a lot of new content I no longer have any reason to pay anything for it. I'd pay maybe $2.99 in its current form but nothing more.

This summer I watched star trek next gen, heck that's old, but it wasn't available to instant stream.

Instant Watch is like a library membership to a library that ran out of money for new books. If you're into older books it's a great deal but if you aren't then it's worthless to you and you pay the premium at a bookstore for new. At this time there is no streaming service that offers much new content and so I get from redbox or download it.

Amazon Prime's list of streaming stuff is so damn terrible it makes Netflix look like a gift from God, man their stuff REALLY is shameful.

The problem with streaming is it came as a free add on service and they've gotten a bit full of themselves and think it's now good enough to stand by its own. Well, sure it is for some people. I'm not one of them, though. I guarantee literally thousands of people have cancelled netflix today (although I'm also sure most will just keep paying and not care all that much).

I'm still not clear of what kind of streaming service will get you new movies for streaming faster to when it's out on DVD than Netflix

There isn't one. I wish there were. There will be. It's the future, physical media is a dinosaur or dead man walking.

I could watch Hulu Plus for TV but I have directv with a very capable DVR situation, so until online content gets good enough that I can cancel it and not miss anything I don't see the point.

The content providers are licking their chops -- they underestimated the penetration of streaming technologies

I really believe it would be hard to overestimate how important it will be in the coming years. It doesn't have to be through the net, though, it could be via cable services or whatever, but on-demand type stuff is absolutely going to become a bigger part of the market than people slapping in a shiny disk that they got from somewhere.

 

[thegimp03]

Just got an email from NFLX regarding the increased rate to $17.98 for my plan of 1 DVD/Bluray at a time and unlimited streaming. I think we're going to either cancel completely or go to streaming only. Being charged almost $10 to get a maximum of 5 movies a month (given the pace of mail around here) while averaging maybe 1-2 these days is a ripoff. NFLX seems more concerned about maintaining it's high stock price than keeping longtime customers happy.