Netflix Launches Streaming Only Accounts, Increases Price for DVDs
Netflix has teased the possibility for a while, and today it became reality. The company unveiled a streaming-only account for those who don't want to bother with mailing DVDs, although it means higher prices for those who do.
The Netflix streaming-only account will allow unlimited access to Watch Instantly films for $8 per month . The cheapest DVD plan, only one disc at a time, went up a dollar to $10 per month. The rest of the plans all saw a price hike of two dollars or more: The most expensive plan, which allows people to have up to 8 DVDs simultaneously, went from $48 up to $56 per month. The price for the limited plan, which limits 2 DVDs per month, stayed at $5.
New subscribers will sign up under this pricing plan, while current users will see the new prices appear on their bills starting in January.
There are pros and cons to both options. Streaming-only doesn't require you to search the couch cushions for the return envelope, but it only has about 20 percent of the content available by DVD. Still, going forward all content will likely be available for streaming, and even the older back catalog might be available, too.
