Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon price rises in western Europe ‘highest in world’
World’s largest streaming services have also increased subscription costs repeatedly in US, research finds Business live – latest updates 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 exper
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”.
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.
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.
