The company unveiled a stunning, sixty percent price increase yesterday, misleadingly landing in the email inbox of subscribers as a “change in pricing plans” reports the New York Times.
– Netflix's new subscription plan, which hikes the cost of enjoying both streaming videos and sent-in-the-mail DVDs from $9.99 to $16—that's 60%—isn't winning it many friends. Amid a sea of anger, Newser picks some favorite reactions: Points for brevity: "Netflix sucks," opines Pat's Papers. No wonder then that this current subscriber will "be canceling as soon as I find the Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure DVD we rented most recently." Best summary of why we're so angry: "It’s not the $6," explains Matt Burns for TechCrunch. "It’s that Netflix raised the prices without adding any value. There simply isn’t any way of spinning this as a benefit to the consumer." The best "Dear Netflix" tweet: @theroxy quips, "Dear Netflix, As much as we love the 'cerebral romantic comedy documentaries' genre you suggested, paying double is insane. k thx bai." Best (and only?) defense of the move: In a piece for Forbes titled "Could We All Please Shut Up About Netflix," Elisa Douchette writes that "What completely befuddles me about this entire situation is the belief we as consumers are OWED something by Netflix. Last I checked, Netflix is a publicly traded FOR-PROFIT company. If you want cheaper movies? Then get a public library card." To dig deeper into the rich history of America's love affair with Netflix, check out this map of the most popular Netflix movies, by state.