World
World’s largest streaming services have also increased subscription costs repeatedly in US, research finds
Read full story on theguardian.com →
Media — Mark Sweney
Subscribers to Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video in western Europe have faced higher price increases than in any other market in recent years, according to research.
Over the past four years the world’s largest subscription video streaming services have dramatically changed their business models introducing lower-priced, basic advertising tiers to attract new subscribers , while also increasingly monetising users willing to pay more for a premium experience.
Research by Ampere Analysis showed that a series of price rises over the past three years, to fund the production of content and drive profits, have led to western European subscribers being hit by the largest average price increases.
Related: Is this the end of Harry and Meghan’s American dream?
Over this period the average increase in the cost of a monthly subscription has risen by $1.86 (£1.36) – more than the US, the world’s biggest streaming market, at $1.70 – and all other world regions.
Pricing in different markets is influenced by a number of factors, including domestic competition and household income, with subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa facing the smallest average price increase of less than $1 over the past three years.
In March, Netflix increased prices in the US for the second time in a little over a year. UK subscribers last faced price increases, ranging from £1 to £2 a month, in February 2025, the first increase since October 2023.
The most recent price increases pushed the cost up £1 to £5.99 a month for the basic package with ads, and up £2 to £12.99 a month for Netflix’s standard ad-free package.
Netflix UK’s recently published financial figures for last year show that the streaming company passed £2bn in annual revenues for the first time. The record £2.06bn marked an 11% increase on the £1.85bn reported in 2024.
The company, which also reported a healthy increase in pre-tax profits from £63m to £72.5m, said the revenue boost was “driven primarily by a 7% growth in the average number of paid memberships and by higher average monthly revenue per paying membership”.
Disney+ last moved to raise prices in the UK and US in September and October last year, with the cost of a UK subscription to its package with advertising £5.99 a month and standard ad-free tier £9.99 a month, or £99.90 annually.
Amazon introduced a £2.99 monthly fee on top of its Prime Video membership for users wanting to pay to avoid seeing ads in February 2024.
While semi-regular price rises have become a facet of the streaming sector, Ampere’s research also showed that the scale of each bump up in subscription charges has dropped significantly “as consumers reach limits on willingness to pay”.
Average price rises across the three streaming companies have fallen from 24% of the previous subscription price in 2023-24 to 14% in 2025-26.
In dollar terms the streamers’ ad-free subscription packages have received larger price increases than their tiers that include ads, which are targeted at much more cost-conscious consumers.
Jaanika Juntson, a senior research manager at Ampere Analysis, said: “The decline in price increases comes as streamers diversify how they monetise their audiences.
“As streaming businesses mature, revenue growth is becoming less reliant on price increases, while intense competition is also making streamers increasingly mindful of how they are positioned against rivals.”
Last week it was reported that the Duchess of Sussex was in talks to make her acting comeback in Guy Ritchie’s Netfix series The Gentlemen, shortly after reports that Meghan and the Duke of Sussex were poised to return to live in the UK six years after moving to the US.
However, multiple subsequent reports suggest that Meghan, who made her name in the legal drama Suits, is not in fact in the running for a role in the third season of The Gentlemen, which is yet to receive an official green light from Netflix. In 2020 the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a multiyear Netflix deal , reportedly worth $100m.
Over the past four years the world’s largest subscription video streaming services have dramatically changed their business models introducing lower-priced, basic advertising tiers to attract new subscribers , while also increasingly monetising users willing to pay more for a premium experience.
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Mark Sweney. Published 24 Aug 2026, 01:45 pm.
Most relevant
Donald Trump is considering setting the new tariff at 7.5%, according to sources
Read on The Hindu →
