{"id":2066,"date":"2026-06-15T23:36:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T23:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2026-06-15T23:36:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T23:36:22","slug":"netflixs-price-hike-reveals-its-monopoly-grip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2066","title":{"rendered":"Netflix\u2019s price hike reveals its monopoly grip"},"content":{"rendered":"
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OPINION:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Only a month after losing its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in late February, Netflix gave customers a glimpse of its true colors.<\/p>\n

Read more D.C. voters to choose new mayor, congressional rep for first time in decades<\/a><\/p>\n

The world\u2019s largest subscription video provider raised its prices again, its second price hike in just over 14 months and the sixth since 2017.<\/p>\n

Netflix may have pretended it would play nice while it was courting Warner Bros. Discovery. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos told lawmakers that the company would \u201cwill give consumers more content for less\u201d when it was hauled before Congress to justify its proposed merger.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, that effort failed \u2014 because in many ways, Netflix is already a monopoly.<\/p>\n

As a variant of the old saying goes, if it walks like a monopoly and talks like a monopoly, it is probably a monopoly. Netflix wears all the hallmarks, even after its failed attempt to buy up the competition. Customers are seeing it flex its muscle.<\/p>\n

Despite its public relations campaign to convince policymakers and the public otherwise, Netflix dominates the subscription video space and, increasingly, the industries upstream and downstream.<\/p>\n

The Bull Moose Project has been warning Americans about the insidious effects of these quiet price hikes for months. To get a comprehensive sense of how Americans feel about this burgeoning monopoly, we commissioned a June 2-3 survey of 1,500 Americans by the Cygnal market research firm.<\/p>\n

Our poll underscores the squeeze Netflix\u2019s market consolidation has put on its subscribers.<\/p>\n

As a baseline, we found that about two-thirds of respondents subscribe to Netflix, which tracks with independent data. Netflix has a user base of more than 87.7 million subscribers in the U.S. alone, nearly 40% higher than the next-closest \u201cpure streamer.\u201d Its global dominance is even more pronounced.<\/p>\n

More telling are the findings on consumer behaviors. A full 44% of respondents said they have considered canceling or downgrading their Netflix plan in the past three months because of rising costs. More than 1 in 10 already have. In real numbers, that means nearly 39 million Americans have considered ending their Netflix subscription, and more than 10 million have already pulled the trigger.<\/p>\n

Those figures are even more striking when factoring in that only two-thirds of respondents were aware of Netflix\u2019s most recent rate increase. Apparently, the streaming giant\u2019s efforts to quietly wring more out of its viewers have been successful. Fewer than 1 in 6 people reported learning about the latest price hike directly from Netflix.<\/p>\n

Read more Japanese, Korean markets surge on end-of-Iran-war news<\/a><\/p>\n

Presumably, about one-third more would have cut or considered cutting their subscriptions had they known.<\/p>\n

Although Netflix may try to slide its steady price increases under the radar or disguise them as a \u201creinvestment in quality,\u201d there is no denying the impact on ordinary families. Affordability and high costs of living remain the top concerns of Americans, and Netflix\u2019s regular rate increases serve only to stretch users thinner, especially as its profits dwarf those of its competitors.<\/p>\n

Other subscription video services could argue that price increases are necessary to stay solvent. Netflix seems to do it because it can.<\/p>\n

Monopolies do not telegraph their intentions to corner a market and ensnare customers. They reveal themselves in unnecessarily higher monthly bills, fewer options and a marketplace where consumers have no choice but to stick with the dominant player. That seems to describe Netflix\u2019s plans to a tee.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Netflix conceded to antitrust regulators, realizing it was likely to be blocked in its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros.<\/p>\n

This is a win for consumers, who may now have more leeway to cut the cord with Netflix when its price gouging becomes intolerable. Plus, having other major players contend with Netflix will compel studios to make more high-quality, diverse movies and shows, lest they lose audiences to other platforms.<\/p>\n

Netflix\u2019s price elevator has reached a floor too high for too many. Whether it feels the squeeze is hard to tell; the company stopped reporting subscriber data last year.<\/p>\n

What is certain is that with more streaming options, consumers will have more choices.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Aiden Buzzetti is the president of the Bull Moose Project. Additional information on the poll can be found at bullmooseproject.org\/posts\/netflix-poll.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Public school districts gut budgets to offset rising costs, falling enrollment<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Only a month after losing its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in late February, Netflix gave customers a glimpse of its true colors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,30],"tags":[1302,1296],"class_list":["post-2066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-opinion","tag-netflix","tag-warner-bros-discovery"],"yoast_head":"\nNetflix\u2019s price hike reveals its monopoly grip - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2066\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Netflix\u2019s price hike reveals its monopoly grip - Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Only a month after losing its bid to acquire Warner Bros. 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