Netflix raises UK prices

Netflix has increased its prices for UK subscribers.

Users will now be charged a monthly fee of:

• £5.99 for a standard subscription with adverts (up from £4.99)
• £12.99 for a standard subscription without adverts (up from £10.99)
• £18.99 for a premium plan (up from £17.99)

Meanwhile, the fee to an add an extra member will go up to:

• £4.99 for a standard subscription with adverts (up from £3.99)
• £5.99 for standard subscription without adverts (up from £4.99)

This is the first time Netflix has raised its prices in the UK since October 2023.

However, the move had been widely expected, as it hiked prices for subscribers in the US, Canada, Argentina and Portugal just last month.

“As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can reinvest to further improve Netflix," a spokesperson for the company said.

Netflix seeing surge in subscriber numbers

Netflix added nearly 19m new customers in the final quarter of 2024 - well above the 9.6m it had been expecting to see between October and December.

This was partly down to its growing focus on live sport, including a boxing match between YouTube star Jake Paul and former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in November.

But this may not be enough for some existing subscribers.

Paolo Pescatore, a technology analyst at PP Foresight, told BBC News: “Netflix must tread extremely carefully.

“There is a ceiling, a point at which consumers will become incredibly frustrated by price hikes.”

TV licence needed to watch live broadcasts

If you decide to stick with Netflix to watch live sport, make sure that you also have a TV licence, or you’re breaking the law.

You need a TV licence if you:

• watch live broadcasts on any TV channel, including international channels
• use streaming services and click ‘watch live’
• record live TV on any device (including VHS recorders)
• watch any content on BBC iPlayer, whether live or on catch-up

But you don’t need a TV licence if you’re watching:

• pre-recorded programmes on streaming services such as Disney Plus or Netflix
• on-demand TV via ITVX, Channel 4, or Amazon Prime Video
• YouTube videos (as long as they’re not live streams)
• DVDs, Blu-rays, or videos
• a programme that has already aired and isn’t on BBC iPlayer

In short, you need a TV licence if you’re watching anything that’s being shown live or using BBC iPlayer.

But remember, the TV licence fee is getting more expensive too, as in April, it will go up by £5 to £174.50.

So it could be well worth using our free budget calculator so you can enjoy your favourite programmes free of financial worry.