Netflix CEO’s comments suggest a price hike is coming

As a longtime Netflix subscriber, I rarely, if ever, think about how much the service charges.

That’s because while I rarely use the streaming service, aside from sometimes watching a stand-up comedy special, it seems like you need to have Netflix just in case they produce something worth watching. In addition, when I travel, my wife has watched a number of series, so it’s probably a good value for us.

Netflix’s co-CEO Greg Peters spoke about price increases during his company’s third-quarter earnings call.

He made it clear that he thinks his company delivers enough to customers that they won’t mind price hikes. Peters noted that members have responded well when the streaming service has raised prices.

“Across all market types where we’ve done price changes, the member response, you mentioned churn engagement usually isn’t really impacted by these things. But that member response is consistent with prior price changes and our expectations,” he said.

His next comments, while they didn’t directly call for a price increase, certainly suggested that the company thinks one would be justified.

Netflix hints at a price increase

Peters made it clear that he thinks Netflix offers strong value to members.

“Again, we think that this is a strong indicator of the value that we’re delivering to members as measured by the quality, the quantity, the variety of viewing that is healthy. Maybe just one also, an external reference point for that value, take the U.S. as an example. Netflix subscribers are paying the least per hour of viewing compared to other SVOD offerings in the country,” he shared.

It’s that comment which suggests that Netflix has at least considered raising prices.

Peters went on to provide further justification for why Netflix could be charging more.

“In some cases, they would have to pay more than double per hour for a competitive service. We think that’s a really good marker of how much value we are delivering per price,” he added.

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Peters also made it clear that his comments were not just about the U.S.

“Also note that we saw continued healthy retention in every region, churn globally in the U.S. improved year-over-year, so better than forecast. Those things also reinforce the signs of that value and make us increasingly confident in that,” he added.

Netflix last raised prices in March.

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What does Netflix cost now?

Netflix offers multiple tiers.

  • Standard with ads: $8.99 / month
  • Standard: $19.99 / month
    • Add 1 extra member for $7.99 / month with ads or $9.99 / month without ads
  • Premium: $26.99 / month
  • Add up to 2 extra members for $7.99 each / month with ads or $9.99 each / month without ads

Netflix has also been very active in policing members sharing accounts.

“You cannot share your Netflix account outside of your household, which is a collection of devices connected to the internet at the main residence where you watch Netflix. People who are not in your household can be added as an extra member,” the company shared.

Netflix raises prices regularly

Netflix last raised prices in March. That followed a January, 2025 price increase.

RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino thinks that Netflix is getting ready for another U.S. price increase.

“Netflix has figured out that it can raise prices and most people will stick around. That’s a luxury very few companies have. They just raised prices, so I wouldn’t expect another increase tomorrow, but I’d be surprised if they don’t test customers again next year,” he told TheStreet.

The streaming leader has a deep history of raising prices.

“Netflix has been raising prices for 15 years, in markets all over the world, and its annual revenue has grown every single year through all of them,” The Motley Fool’s Daniel Sparks wrote in September after the company raised prices on its lowest-cost tier in the United Kingdom.

Peters reiterated that Netflix has been successful raising prices in the past.

“The ultimate determinant of are we delivering that value is the reaction to price changes. Those recent price changes that we did, including in the United States, have gone well,” He added.

A history of Netflix prices increases

As you can see from the list below, Netflix has no fixed schedule for raising prices. Peters, it should be noted, did not directly say the company was planning a price increase.

His comments instead suggested that customers have historically tolerated increases well and appeared to lay the groundwork to justify an increase.

  • 2011: Netflix’s streaming plan cost $7.99 per month.
  • May 2014: Netflix raised the U.S. Standard plan from $7.99 to $8.99 per month.
  • October 2015: Netflix raised the Standard plan from $8.99 to $9.99 per month.
  • October 2017: Netflix raised the Standard plan from $9.99 to $10.99 per month.
  • January 2019: Netflix raised the Standard plan from $10.99 to $12.99 per month.
  • October 2020: Netflix raised the Standard plan from $12.99 to $13.99 per month.
  • January 2022: Netflix raised the Standard plan from $13.99 to $15.49 per month.
  • January 2025: Netflix raised the Standard plan from $15.49 to $17.99 per month.
  • March 2026: Netflix raised the Standard plan from $17.99 to $19.99 per month.

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