Netflix prices: this is how much subscription prices have changed since it launched in UK - and why

• Netflix has offered reasons why its prices have gone up recently.
• Password crackdown may mean you are having to pay extra so your family can keep using your account.  
• But analysts have warned that another price rise is expected - even if an exact date remains uncertain.

Netflix has offered an explanation for why its prices have changed so dramatically since it first launched in the UK. It has been over a decade since the streamer arrived and things look mightily different from the early days - not least because you can no longer share your account with others.

While the cost of living crisis may not be as prevelant in your mind as it was a few years ago, you may be considering if Netflix is still worth it. I’ve done a review of the streamer for 2024 and you can read my verdict here.

And if you are wondering how Netflix compares to other streaming services in terms of price - I’ve pulled together a handy guide. You can also find out how much one month of Netflix costs, if you are just wanting to watch one particular show or movie.

Users are also being warned that prices “expected” to rise again as analysts predict the streaming giant will hike the monthly cost of your packages in the near future, although details are yet to be confirmed. 

If the streaming service is set to raise prices yet again, it got us wondering what the current monthly cost looks like compared to when it first launched in the UK. Join us in a trip down memory lane and see how Netflix prices have changed through the years. 

How much did Netflix cost at first? 

The streaming giant feels like an ubiquitous part of our lives in the year 2024, so it can be hard to remember a time before the Tun Dum and binge-watching TV shows in one go on a weekend. But it is only just over 12 years ago that Netflix actually arrived on our shores. 

The streamer famously started life over in the United States as a DVD-by-mail rental service in the late 1990s. It was even offered to Blockbuster to buy at the start of the 21st century - but we all know how that story ends! 

Netflix as we all know it now, a streaming service with a library of shows and films to pick-and-mix, launched in America in 2007. However it wasn’t until 9 January 2012 that the platform came to the UK.

It originally cost £5.99 (or 6.99 EURO in Ireland) per month with a free-trial when you first signed up. This writer remembers using Netflix in the summer of 2012 because it was the easiest way to watch Breaking Bad and not end up with 1,000 computer viruses. 

When was the first price hike? 

It was little over two years after Netflix first launched in the UK before its first price hike. In spring of 2014, the streamer announced that prices would be jumping from £5.99 a month to £6.99 for new customers. 

However if you were an existing subscriber, the price hike was pushed back two years. The pricing change came following Netflix’s first jumps into the world of original programming with House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. 

If users were okay with lower SD (standard definition) they could still get Netflix for £5.99. 

Why has Netflix hiked its prices?

On its website, Netflix explains: “As we continue to add more TV shows and movies and introduce new product features, our plans and prices may change. We also may adjust plans and pricing to respond to local market changes, such as changes to local taxes or inflation.”

How much does Netflix cost in 2024? 

The streamer has continued to hike prices in the 10 years since it first announced the price jump for UK subscribers. Customers also have a multitude of options depending on their budget. 

The current prices and packages for Netflix UK are: 

• Standard with adverts - £4.99/ month
• Standard - £10.99/ month (extra member slots can be added for £4.99 each / month)
• Premium - £17.99/ month (extra member slots can be added for £4.99 each / month)

So if you subscribed to Netflix at launch in 2012 and still have a standard subscription, you are now paying £5 more per month (£60 per year) more in 2024. For those who moved up to the premium package they are paying £12 more than 12 years ago. 

If you are willing to put up with adverts while watching Netflix, you can actually pay £1 per month less than you would have when the streaming service launched in the UK. 

Timeline of Netflix price rises

• 2012 - Netflix launches in UK - price £5.99/ month 
• 2014 - first UK price change - new customers pay £6.99/ month 
• 2016 - Netflix hikes price for basic users - £7.49/ month 
• 2017 - Standard and premium packages go up - £7.99/ month and £9.99/ month 
• 2019 - Prices are increased for UK users - £8.99/ month for standard and £11.99/ month for premium 
• 2021 - Netflix raises prices for first time during pandemic - £9.99/ month for standard and £13.99/ month for premium 
• 2022 - Basic plan sees increase - £5.99/ month to £6.99/month, while standard and premium prices also rise 
• 2023 - Ad-tier added and prices rise to current levels - £4.99/ month, £10.99/ month and £17.99/ month 

Could Netflix prices rise this year? 

Unfortunately for customers it sounds like the streaming service could hike its prices yet again in the United States. Analysts at UBS Securities are predicting a price rise for 2024, but it is not yet confirmed and it is not known if it will be a worldwide change or just in America - so we will keep you posted. 

UBS analysts led by John Hodulik wrote in February: “We expect to see rate increases this year.” No plans have been announced by Netflix, but executives have said rate increases are on the table, Variety reports.

If this trip down Netflix memory lane has made you wonder how much the launch of the streaming service has changed the entertainment landscape, CNBC has a fantastic documentary on the subject! It is a bit lengthy at over 40 minutes but can be watched on YouTube right now.