Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Netflix kicks off 2022 with surprise price hikes for all of its plans

Published Jan 14th, 2022 3:48PM EST
The Netflix app highlighted on an Apple TV 4K
Image: Christian de Looper for BGR

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to be more frugal with your money in 2022, we have some bad news for you. On Friday, Netflix announced price hikes for all of its monthly subscription plans in the US and Canada. The new prices take effect immediately for new members, so if you try to sign up for Netflix for the first time today, the new plans will be the only choices you have.

Netflix introduces price hikes right as 2022 begins

Reuters was the first publication to report the higher prices on Friday afternoon. Each of the streaming service’s three monthly plans is now more expensive than it was this morning.

The Basic plan, which only includes one screen and SD content, jumped a dollar from $8.99 to $9.99. The Standard plan, which offers two screens and HD content, increased from $13.99 to $15.49. Finally, the pricey Premium plan, which allows subscribers to watch on up to four screens in 4K Ultra HD, rose two dollars from $17.99 to $19.99. No matter which one you choose, you’re going to pay more. Netflix offered the following statement in regards to the higher prices when Reuters reached out:

We understand people have more entertainment choices than ever and we’re committed to delivering an even better experience for our members. We’re updating our prices so that we can continue to offer a wide variety of quality entertainment options. As always we offer a range of plans so members can pick a price that works for their budget.

This is the first time that Netflix has raised the prices of its plans since October 2020. At the time, the company bumped the price of the Standard plan from $12.99 to $13.99, as well as the Premium plan from $15.99 to $17.99. The Basic plan stayed flat at $8.99 a month.

It was only a matter of time before Netflix’s prices jumped again. Since 2013, the company has never waited more than two years to raise prices on its monthly plans. The difference now is that consumers have far more options to choose from. At $15.49 per month, Netflix’s standard plan is now even more expensive than HBO Max without ads. How long can Netflix stay on top like this?

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.