Netflix's standard plan now costs $19.99 a month, up from $17.99. The premium plan is $26.99, up from $24.99. The ad-supported plan rose to $8.99 from $7.99.[1]

It is the second price increase in fourteen months. The last one came in January 2025.[2]

Extra member pricing also went up: ad-supported add-ons are now $6.99 per person, and ad-free add-ons are $9.99.[1]

The company is spending to justify the increases. Netflix expects to spend $20 billion on content in 2026, up from $18 billion in 2025. The budget covers live events, video podcasts, and an expanding slate of originals.[2]

Revenue is projected between $50.7 billion and $51.7 billion for the year, driven by membership growth, pricing power and what Netflix called "a projected rough doubling of ad revenue in 2026" compared with the prior year.[1]

The streaming wars have consolidated into a simple dynamic: the platforms with the most content raise prices, and the subscribers who cannot afford to lose the platform pay. Netflix has the most content.[2]

The company declined to match Paramount's higher bid for Warner Bros. and HBO Max in February, choosing to invest in its own library rather than acquire a competitor's.[1] The decision signals confidence that organic growth — funded by price increases — is sufficient.

The question is how much more subscribers will absorb. The standard plan has risen $4 in two years. At $19.99, it is no longer an impulse purchase. It is a line item.

-- CAMILLE BEAUMONT, Los Angeles