October 2026 update: the increase discussed in this article reached France on 18 April 2025. Netflix now charges €7.99 for Standard with ads (compared with €5.99 before), €14.99 for Standard (compared with €13.49) and €21.99 for Premium (compared with €19.99), and the Essentiel plan is no longer offered. These prices have not changed since, and no new increase had been announced in France in October 2026. The text below dates from January 2025 and describes the situation at the time. Netflix had then 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 were already affected by a new wave of price hikes, France was 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 had announced new price increases in early 2025 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?
In January 2025, no increase had yet been confirmed for France, following announcements concerning North America and Portugal. However, logic suggested that France would follow suit in the months ahead, potentially by one or two extra euros per formula. That is what happened on 18 April 2025: +€2 for Standard with ads, +€1.50 for Standard and +€2 for Premium.
What choice do subscribers have?
In January 2025, before the April 2025 increase, French customers had 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.
These amounts were revised upwards in April 2025, as price trends in other countries suggested. 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
In January 2025, the last price revision in France dated from October 2023, with the arrival of advertising and an increase in the Premium subscription. The next wave of increases came on 18 April 2025 and affected every plan. For Netflix, maintaining its record growth obviously means raising prices… at the risk of frustrating some subscribers.