Netflix may be one of the best streaming services, but it's also one of the most expensive – so lots of people will be happy that it's just slashed its subscription prices in over 30 countries. Unfortunately you probably don't live in one of them.
As the Wall Street Journal reports (opens in new tab), in some cases the cuts are halving the cost of a Netflix subscription. That's great news if you're living somewhere like Croatia or Thailand, but unfortunately the US, UK and Australia aren't on the list.
Where is Netflix cutting the cost of its subscriptions?
According to the WSJ, the list includes Middle Eastern countries including Yemen, Jordan, Libya and Iran; sub-Saharan African markets including Kenya; and European countries such as Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria.
There have also been reductions in Latin America and in Asia, including Nicaragua, Ecuador, Venezuela, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
It seems likely that the cuts are designed to drive growth in markets where Netflix isn't already a behemoth and where its competitors are investing. In markets where Netflix is more dominant, such as the UK and US, Netflix is keen to raise prices rather than drop them – and if you have a family who don't all live under the same roof, the imminent restrictions on Netflix account sharing will drive the price up even further.
This isn't the first time Netflix has cut its prices – the WSJ reports that it did the same in India in 2021 to boost market share – but if you're in the US, UK or Australia I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for price cuts there. For the foreseeable future, the standard and premium Netflix packages aren't going to get any cheaper now there's a more affordable ad-funded option.
