Netflix is raising most of

its US prices by eight per cent to 13 per cent as its video streaming service

rides a wave of rising popularity spurred by government-imposed lockdowns that

corralled people at home during the fight against the pandemic.

The increases imposed Friday boost the cost of Netflix’s most popular US streaming plan by US$1 to US$14 per month while a premium plan that allows more people to watch the service on different screens simultaneously will now cost $2 more at $18 per month. Netflix’s basic US plan remains at $9 per month. It marks Netflix’s first price changes in the US since an increase rolled out early last year.

New US subscribers will be

charged the higher prices immediately while the increases will affect existing

customers in phases during the next few months. Netflix ended September with 73

million subscribers in US and Canada, with the overwhelming majority located in

the US.

The move had been widely expected after Netflix raised its

prices in Canada earlier this month and then ended free 30-month trials in the

US.