Following the most recent price rise, a new study from Moneyland.ch has found that Netflix has increased its subscription costs dramatically in Switzerland in the last decade. A basic subscription to the streaming service is now 12,90 Swiss francs a month.
As of April 12, 2024, those who have a basic Netflix subscription in Switzerland - which gives users access to ad-free movies, TV shows and games on one device at a time - have to pay 12,90 francs a month, one franc a month more than before. For a two-device standard subscription, the price rose by two francs a month to 20,90 francs, while those on the premium subscription saw prices rise by three francs to 27,90 francs a month.
According to Moneyland.ch’s Ralf Beyler, the price rise is the fifth since Netflix expanded its service to the internet in Switzerland in 2014. The price of a standard subscription is now 62 percent more expensive than it was when the service launched, when it cost just 12,90 francs a month. The recent price rise also cements Switzerland's status as having some of the most expensive Netflix packages in the world.
In the past, Netflix has said that its price rises are required so that it can continue to invest in Swiss films and TV shows, alongside more global productions - 2023 saw the announcement that Netflix and national broadcaster SRF would be working on a TV show together for the first time. Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters told Variety at the end of 2023 that the price rises are “to keep that positive flywheel going [so] we can invest in more great films, series and games for those members.”
However, writing in February 2024, Forbes Magazine's Paul Tassi claimed that the price increases are mainly a result of consumer apathy: "The hikes are not leading to widespread cancellation. Instead, most people are sticking around, and as such, Netflix’s revenue goes up…[the company] is essentially saying that it will keep increasing prices because it can.” Netflix has not responded to the claims.
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