Netflix appears to be planning its most expensive streaming tier yet. Currently, the company offers three different tiers, starting at $7.99 per month and maxing out at $13.99. That could soon change, however…
According to Italian blog Tutto Android, Netflix is plotting the rollout of a new “Ultra” tier that would be priced at €16.99, which comes out to around $20 per month. Promotional material for this new streaming package indicates that it would essentially be the same as the current “Premium” tier.
As you can see in the image below, the rollout of the Ultra plan would seemingly halve the number of concurrent streams from four to two for Premium subscribers. The Ultra tier would then offer four streams at the higher price point. Meanwhile, the Standard tier would also be halved from two streams to one.
In this scenario, the addition of the Ultra plans would be the same as a price hike for Premium subscribers as they would be forced to upgrade to the new, more expensive tier to maintain the same level of service.
In a statement, Netflix said that it is “continuously” testing new things and that a test doesn’t necessarily indicate plans for a full rollout (via CNET):
“We continuously test new things at Netflix and these tests typically vary in length of time,” Smita Saran, a Netflix spokeswoman, said in an email. “In this case, we are testing slightly different price points and features to better understand how consumers value Netflix.”
Not all Netflix subscribers will see the test and the company may not ever offer the specific price points or features being tested, Saran said.
This wouldn’t mark the first time Netflix has increased prices for consumers. In October, the company bumped its Standard and Premium plans by $1 and $2, respectively. The addition of the Ultra tier, if it turns out to rollout to everyone, would effectively be a price hike of around $6 for Premium users.
What do you think of this rumor? Would you upgrade to the Ultra tier of it became an option (and the only option with four simultaneous streams)? Let us know down in the comments.
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