Netflix is testing out how users react to a weekend-only price hike, according to reports.
The Australian broke the news of the tests, which show increased prices on weekends for selected new susbscribers by $1, $2 and $3 a month – depending on your membership level. The tests had regular pricing of $8.99, $11.99 and 14.99 a month shown again on the Monday.
News.com.au said Netflix had confirmed tests were underway, but not with Australian subscribers.
Legislation introduced by Treasurer Scott Morrison will see digital goods such as e-books, games, apps and subscription streaming services – such at Netflix – from overseas providers attract the Goods and Services Tax as of the new financial year.
Dubbed the “Netflix Tax”, it is expected to raise $350 million for states and territories over the next four years.
Could a price hike from Netflix be a way of recouping some of the costs associated with administrating GST?
We have reached out to Netflix for more information, and will update this story as we hear more.
Comments
23 responses to “Netflix Is Testing A Price Hike For Weekends”
Hmm. Sounds a bit cunty really.
This, Netflix. This is how we react.
Or they could stop making so much shit (in amongst the good stuff) and not do it.
here is an idea: just because you dont like something, that doesnt make it shit. it also doesnt mean there is no market for it.
I’ve been losing a lot of interest in Netflix as of late. I don’t see any reason to be paying more.
I would really like to that those who voted the Liberals in again, full well knowing they were going to go through with the google tax etc… how else did those voters think those companies were going to pass on the extra chargers?!
Yes if only people voted Labor and everything would be free………. and no company would ever increase its prices because of unicorn farts and fairy dust.
no into protecting its workers in terms of wages, holidays/sick days, 38 hours week in related fields, safety, you know all those things the liberals would rather do away with to maximise profits, over staffing comfort and happiness.
Unicorn farts and fairy dust remain an illusive dream to all, sigh, sadly
Da comrade… that’s why dear leader sold all those rights away to line the parties coffers and buy power to become leader of the Labor party.
I know you’re trying to be sarcastic, but both unicorn farts and fairy dust have a well-established ability to stabilise the market.
Yeah just like we’d have FTTP by now blah blah..you should get into politics.
To be fair for a moment, I think it’s perfectly reasonable for business who clearly do business in Australia to pay tax – that tax goes into funding public services that the public ultimately rely on. It’s the businesses that decide to pass that cost on to us – not the government.
Also if you think the ALP or Greens wouldn’t back large corporations paying more tax, you’re crazy.
Don’t get me wrong – everyone who voted Coalition made Australia a worse place. They chose wrong and they should feel bad. Having said that, taxing corporations is wildly out of character for the Liberal party and it’s absolutely what they should be doing, since they have to get the money to fund the government somewhere and multi’s have been paying incredibly low tax for years now. Among other things if multinational’s get to dodge Australian Taxes it puts Australian business’s at even more of a disadvantage.
Having said *that*, the streaming tax isn’t like the “Google” tax at all – it’s a GST which means that it falls directly on the consumer unless the supplier (Netflix) decides to eat the tax. It’s a regressive tax, but it’s harder to dodge.
because politics is more important then a single tax, while i don’t agree with this tax, the Labours policies and plans were utter shit, “we’re gonna spend more money but have no plans to generate the money needed to pay for all the nice stuff we like talking about.”
No thanks.
thats a tad over generalised, like saying only thing Liberals care about is their own self interests, to hell to every and anyone who struggles. sure its correct technically, though not all Liberals are like that. Generalisations get no one anywhere.
It may be a generalisation, but one squarely based on the current crop. I’m myself am worse off due to the new budget but I also completely agree with it. Both sides have problems but labour currently is a bigger mess. Which is impressive because of how screwed up libs are.
the tax doesn’t even make any money, collecting it costs more than it will bring in. it’s only purpose is to make it more fair on local businesses which already have GST applied
I have to wonder how much of this is being caused by the renewed discussion of axing net neutrality in the states.
So wait.. for the new subscribers that were unfortunate or unwitting enough to sign up on the expensive weekend, is that increased price now their recurring monthly charge? Or does the fact they rolled it back on Monday mean that anyone who signed up during the price hike now just revert to the normal price? Either way, seems like an odd way to gather user feedback…
Yeah, I have no idea what is actually happening. The comments went political.
Seeing some of the commenters in here, really explains a lot from other posts. Quite illuminating.
Yeh can we get some clarification on the hike please? Is it only if you happen to not have NF, and then sign up on a Saturday/Sunday?
So the proposition is that as Netflix is trialling increased rates on weekends in a market that is not Australia, this somehow relates to GST in Australia?
That’s a pretty longbow to draw…
(Isn’t it far more likely that Netflix like money and are testing to see if people will pay more at a time when demand is higher and people will pay more to “get it now”…. and any GST related increase would be seperate and unrelated and something that applies to all, as I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be legal to not charge GST to some users and recoup costs from others… not to mention far simpler to just increase prices across the board by 10%)