• Netflix has increased subscription prices across all tiers in the U.S.
• The ad-supported plan now costs $8.99/month; the standard plan is $19.99/month, while the premium plan is $26.99/month.
• This is the second price increase for Netflix this year, following a hike in January.
• Price hikes aim to fund Netflix's expanded content investments, including live events and podcasts.
• Despite the increases, Netflix remains competitively priced compared to other streaming services.

Netflix has announced price increases for all of its U.S. subscription tiers, marking the second hike this year. The ad-supported plan will now cost $8.99 per month (up from $7.99), while the standard and premium plans have risen to $19.99 and $26.99 respectively, reflecting increases of $2 across the board, according to Reuters and India Times.

This latest increase comes shortly after a previous hike earlier in January, which also raised subscription prices by $2.50. The company's adjustments are designed to support increased investments in original content, including live events and newly introduced video podcasts, aiming to allocate $20 billion for content spending in 2026, as stated by Business Insider and Reuters.

Analysts project that these price adjustments will result in a 6% year-over-year increase in Netflix's average revenue per subscriber in the U.S. and Canada for 2026. Despite rising prices, Netflix's subscription costs remain competitive compared to other streaming services, which have similarly raised their fees in recent years, contributing to a trend popularly referred to as "stream-flation," according to Business Insider.