Netflix recently announced excellent financial results, surpassing 300 million subscribers worldwide. Despite this success, the streaming platform continues to adjust its prices, raising questions among French users. While the USA, Canada, Argentina and Portugal are already affected by a new wave of price hikes, France is not yet officially concerned. However, a previous price move in October 2023 sheds light on Netflix’s strategy.
A sneak preview: prices before autumn 2023
For a long time, the Essentiel subscription (€8.99/month) was the entry-level package for new customers. Although limited to a single screen and standard definition (SD), it offered a low-cost way to discover the Netflix catalog. The Standard (€13.49/month) and Premium (€17.99/month) packages offered greater comfort, in Full HD (two simultaneous screens) and Ultra HD (four screens) respectively.
Until recently, there was no official “ad-supported” offer in France, although other markets had already experimented with this model.
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October 2023 turnaround: adverts appear and Premium increases
In October 2023, Netflix made its first major change in France:
- The arrival of a “Standard with advertising” package at €5.99/month. This package offers Full HD on two screens, but includes commercial breaks during viewing.
- The elimination of the Essentiel offer for new subscribers: instead of being replaced, it has simply been set aside for new subscribers. Subscribers already on this €8.99/month plan can keep it, however, as long as they do not cancel.
- The increase in Premium: from €17.99 to €19.99/month, it has become the platform’s most expensive subscription, offering the best image quality (4K) on four screens.
On the other hand, the Standard package (€13.49/month) remained unchanged during this phase, remaining an attractive intermediate option for many households.
A global strategy: what drives Netflix?
Meanwhile, in other markets such as the U.S. and Canada, Netflix recently announced new price increases for all its packages, including the ad-supported package. The stated aim is to “continue to invest in programming” and bring “more value” to members.
The relatively affordable ad-supported Standard offer seems to be emphasized to attract new subscribers, while offsetting the lower price with additional advertising revenues.
Future awards in France?
Officially, no increase has yet been confirmed for France, following recent announcements concerning North America and Portugal. However, logic would suggest that France should follow suit in the months ahead. After the increase in the autumn, it’s not out of the question that Netflix will soon apply a new scale, potentially of the order of one or two extra euros per formula.
What choice do subscribers have?
French customers currently have several options:
- Standard package with ads: €5.99/month – the least expensive, but with ads and a sometimes limited catalog.
- Essentiel (for existing subscribers): €8.99/month – more accessible, ad-free, but limited to one SD screen; not available to new subscribers.
- Standard: €13.49/month – Full HD definition, two screens simultaneously.
- Premium: €19.99/month – 4K resolution, four screens simultaneously.
Depending on price trends in other countries, these amounts are likely to be revised upwards in the medium term. Netflix is determined to maintain control over its revenues in order to support its policy of investment in original content and broadcast technologies.
Netflix raises prices again
The last price revision in France already changed the situation in October 2023, with the arrival of advertising and an increase in the Premium subscription. It remains to be seen when the next wave of increases will occur, and to what extent they will affect each formula. For Netflix, maintaining its record growth obviously means raising prices… at the risk of frustrating some subscribers.
