Every once in a while, we see Netflix test new plans in certain markets, and most of them involve price hikes. The same goes for the latest test that was spotted over in Italy, where the streaming giant is toying with a couple of different scenarios. First spotted by Italian-language blog SmartWorld, the tests suggest that Netflix is toying with the idea of either raising Standard and Premium subscription, or increasing all of its prices across the board.
Right now the default monthly Netflix streaming prices for Italy and other countries in the European Union are at €7.99 (Base), €10.99 (Standard), and €13.99 (Premium). One of the tests that Netflix is currently conducting proposes that the Base subscription stays the same, but the Standard and Premium plans go up to €12.99 and €17.99, respectively. That’s an increase of €2 and €4 for the plans that give you access to Full HD playback on two devices, or 4K content on up to four devices simultaneously.
The second test proposes price hikes for all the three tiers, bumping the three plans up to €8.99, €12.99, and €16.99 monthly. That doesn’t necessarily mean that new Netflix users who are exposed to the new price tiers will actually end up paying more per month than current customers, even if they don’t mind the hikes. As the report notes, even if you select any of the new prices, you’ll be redirected to a page that lists the regular prices. It looks like Netflix is just trying to see whether these new higher prices will reduce potential sign-ups.
A Netflix spokesperson gave the site the same response it always provides when asked about similar tests, that not all users will see the prices, and that Netflix might never use the new tiers. The test can still be very revealing for the company, as it’ll inform Netflix how much customers might be willing to spend for access and how price hikes might be perceived by new users.
