CPI taken from https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
I fudged the CPI calculation a bit because I didn’t do the compounding monthly, but I ensured that based on the CPI calculator, the starting value of $11.99 -> $16.43 from January 2013 -> December 2024.
To be fair, I think CPI is somewhat bullshit, but it was the easiest .gov source for inflation data that I knew about.
Data:
| Year | Basic | Standard with Ads | Standard | Premium | Premium Following CPI | CPI Inflation % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $7.99 | - | - | – | - | - |
| 2012 | $7.99 | - | - | – | - | - |
| 2013 | $7.99 | - | $9.99 | $11.99 | $11.99 | 1.58% |
| 2014 | $7.99 | - | $10.99 | $13.99 | $12.19 | -0.89% |
| 2015 | $7.99 | - | $11.99 | $14.99 | $12.09 | 1.37% |
| 2016 | $7.99 | - | $11.99 | $14.99 | $12.26 | 2.50% |
| 2017 | $7.99 | - | $12.99 | $15.99 | $12.57 | 2.07% |
| 2018 | $7.99 | - | $12.99 | $15.99 | $12.84 | 1.55% |
| 2019 | $8.99 | - | $13.99 | $16.99 | $13.05 | 2.49% |
| 2020 | $8.99 | - | $14.99 | $18.99 | $13.38 | 1.40% |
| 2021 | $8.99 | - | $14.99 | $18.99 | $13.58 | 7.48% |
| 2022 | $9.99 | - | $15.49 | $19.99 | $14.60 | 6.41% |
| 2023 | Phased Out | $6.99 | $15.49 | $19.99 | $15.55 | 3.09% |
| 2024 | – | $6.99 | $15.49 | $22.99 | $16.04 | 2.33% |
| 2025 | – | $7.99 | $17.99 | $24.99 | $16.43 | - |
edit: fixed a calculation mistake (accidentally was using 2012->2025 inflation not 2013->2025) edit 2: zeroed y axis
the first unlimited streaming-only was $7.99 in jan 2011. it had no ads and was literally ‘unlimited’.
“should be” $11.45 today (dec 2024, acc to bis.gov).
but wait, they now charge extra for streaming outside the ‘household’, so better knock that down by at least one-third.
hey look, we’re right back at $7.99.
Something this graph doesn’t include is there was way more content. Everyone put their stuff on Netflix, and it wasn’t a revolving door of awful Netflix originals.
Zero that axis, please.
done.
So the normal “I just want to watch netflix” price has gone from $8 to $18. A 125% increase.
This is the way that it should be IMHO - the rich pay more, and get more in return. Like, hasn’t the feature set of Premium increased? 4k, multiple household multiple screen whatever whatever. Anyway if they can afford it and want to, then that helps everyone out for them to support the entire platform.
More troubling to me (than whatever is going on with Premium that is way above most of our heads) is the recent uptick for Standard. Like the blue line is remarkably flat, and red was too until 2025. But iirc there are “details” there like that is only for people outside the USA, not that that one fact alone isn’t high relevant, but that it’s one example of a detail (and there may be several others along with it) that complicates interpretation of just these raw numbers. Like at that point I’d want to know the reason why the price went up only outside but not inside the USA - pure corporate greed? (Certainly that’s one of the factors:-P, but is it the only one?) Laws passed in the other countries affected that makes it more expensive to operate there? A bit of both?
I like paying for Netflix, bc it’s a superb player that handles network congestion and such very well and it signals content creators which content I want to see more of. I don’t restrict myself to “only” what I can pay for, but if a show is on Netflix then I enjoy the convenience that it offers. The situation is nothing like what it used to be let’s say 5 years ago, and I worry about how that will continue to evolve in a year or two, but for now it halfway works - and I’m not signing up for Disney or Paramount or Hulu or whatever so Netflix it is then. As long as I can afford it.
Rich is when 4k Netflix
