Netflix and not so chill? Streamer hikes up prices in Czechia

Streaming service Netflix has announced a significant price increase for its subscription plans in the Czech Republic, with all three of its packages becoming more expensive.

According to reports from media site AVMania, this is the largest-scale increase in subscription prices that the Czech Republic has seen from a leading movie service. Last year, Netflix made adjustments to its fee for members outside of a subscriber household, but this recent change has caught the attention of many. The company has quietly released its updated price list online, without offering a clear explanation for the sudden increase.

This price hike is not limited to the Czech Republic, as there have been talks of a global increase since last year. 

The updated prices also include a CZK 20 increase for users outside of the household, bringing their subscription fee to CZK 99 in total. The Standard package only allows for one additional user, while the Premium offers two extra.

Netflix, founded in 1997 and older than tech firm Google, is the country's most used paid streaming service, with roughly two-thirds of the 2.8 million total streamers in Czechia subscribed to the service. Director of media business company Axocom Erika Luzsicza told Czech News Agency earlier this year that “limiting password sharing” actually helped increase Netflix’s subscribers.

According to international streaming guide JustWatch, the U.S. company also has a 35 percent market share in the subscription video-on-demand industry in Czechia, trailed by Amazon Prime Video, which is way behind with 17 percent. Services Voyo, HBO Max, Disney+, and Prima+ are the next most-popular streaming services in the country.

This price increase follows Netflix's impressive growth last year, when it added around 30 million users worldwide.

Despite the sudden and considerable price increase, Netflix remains a favorite among Czech viewers. According to a recent test of streaming services, it offers a vast catalog of almost 8,200 titles, with two-thirds having Czech subtitles and only 15 percent with Czech dubbing.