There are many great things about Netflix. There’s the fact that it allows us to binge-watch amazing television shows in the comfort of our own homes. There’s all of the great original series it has blessed audiences with (Stranger Things, we’re looking at you). And also, there are no commercials! But maybe the best thing about this streaming service is the price. It’s always been inexpensive for what it offers, especially compared to the price of cable throughout the country. Unfortunately, we have some bad news: Netflix might get more expensive with a crazy new subscription plan.
Netflix currently offers three subscription plans: Basic for $7.99 a month, Standard for $10, and Premium for $13.99. The Basic plan allows users to watch Netflix on one device at a time, Standard allows up to two devices, and Premium allows four devices. The newest plan they may be rolling out is called Ultra. At about $19.99 a month, Ultra would allow your four devices to receive Ultra HD video and audio streaming simultaneously.
CNET first spotted a report on Ultra from Italian blog Tutto Android, which revealed an early look at the plan. Lest we thought it was all just rumors, Netflix confirmed Ultra in an email statement, saying, “We continuously test new things at Netflix and these tests typically vary in length of time. In this case, we are testing slightly different price points and features to better understand how consumers value Netflix. Not everyone will see this test and we may not ever offer the specific price points or features included in this test.”
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The takeaway? It seems the company is testing out an expensive Ultra plan, but so far they don’t have plans to actually roll it out. Still, it’s clearly something they’re considering, so it’s worth knowing about.
Ultra and Premium seem quite similar, so you might be wondering exactly what the difference is. One test shows that Ultra would offer ultra HDR (which means brighter colors and more detail), while Premium would simply offer HD. The other test shows Ultra and Premium both offering ultra HD, but only on two screens at once for Premium, and four for Ultra.
That second test wouldn’t be a great reality for Premium users, as it would mean their number of simultaneous streams would be slashed in half. As Refinery29 points out, though, Netflix could grandfather in current customers, allowing current Premium users to keep four simultaneous streams for the same price.
This might sound alarming, but don’t freak out just yet! This is still a test, and we don’t know if it will ever become a real thing. Plus, let’s look on the bright side: $19.99 is still a great price for what Netflix gives us. Still — let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.
