Netflix: a success story
And 1997, Netflix was just an American DVD rental and purchase service like so many others. Its subscription video-on-demand service begins in 2007, but it will have to wait September 2014 to see him arrive in France with its first original series: The Unforgettable House of Cards, quickly followed by the fascinating Orange is the new black.
In 2016, the first original French series appeared: Marseille, but the most appreciated worldwide is undoubtedly Lupin (with Omar Sy), which will enter the Top 10 of the most watched series in the world in 70 countries. In the meantime, Netflix has won over the general public with a creation from Spain: The Money Heist, the first season of which arrives for the Christmas holidays in 2017. Netflixmania is launched, which can be explained by a growing catalog and iconic series as Stranger Things, Narcos, The Crown, Squid Game, or Black Mirror to name just a few.
In 2022, the milestone of 10 million subscribers will be reached. The COVID crisis has been there, where streaming has replaced closed cinemas, and profoundly changed the consumption habits of spectators. So 10 years after its arrival, Netflix’s hegemony is total. Two figures to measure it:
- During the first quarter of 2024, 2/3 of French people watched at least 1 program on Netflix (see the ranking of SVoD platforms in France according to their use published on Statista);
- more than 40% of French households are now subscribed to the platform.
To find out everything about Netflix, its subscriptions, its prices, and its means of access, it’s here:
Netflix: the file
When Netflix’s success increases, so do its prices!
In 2014, the entry price to subscribe to Netflix is €7.99/month, while the Premium subscription costs €11.99 monthly. But little by little, other SVoD platforms will appear in the French PAF, so here it is today increasingly competitive:
- Pair Prime Video: the Amazon platform arrived in France in 2016, and today has around 30% of subscribed households,
- on Disney+, arrived 4 years later, and which today lists around 20% of subscriber households,
- but also Paramount+, Apple TV+, OCS, Universal+, or most recently MAX, merger of HBO and Discovery+.
Video streaming: the comparison
Faced with this competition, while production budgets are on the rise, Netflix is changing its strategy. End of 2022 appears 1st subscription with advertising, which allows the entry price to be compressed at €5.99/month. In May 2023, account sharing outside the same household will end. The “Essential” offer disappeared in December of the same year. And during this time, prices are rising: 50% more for the Standard subscription, and up to 67% increase for the Premium subscription!
Netflix: evolution of monthly prices | Sept. 2014 | 2017 | 2021 | Nov. 2022 | Oct. 2023 |
(Essential) Standard with Pub | 5.99€ | 5.99€ | |||
Essential | 7.99€ | 7.99€ | 8.99€ | 8.99€ | Deleted |
Standard | 8.99€ | 9.99€ | 13.49€ | 13.49€ | 13.49€ |
Premium | 11.99€ | 13.99€ | 17.99€ | 17.99€ | 19.99€ |
Rumors are still circulating, which speak of further increases for the end of the year. How will subscribers react? Will they cancel, share their account as much as possible, switch to the competition, or be tempted by illegal IPTV?