NetFlix Raises Blu-ray Prices

I got a disappointing message from NetFlix today. No, it wasn’t that there’s no chance they’ll be getting in that rare video of Marlon Brando performing Dr. Seuss (still have our fingers crossed on that one). Instead it was news of a price boost, with the monthly add-on fee for Blu-ray discs going up on my plan from $1 to $3.

The message from NetFlix, reprinted below, justifies the rise in cost because Blu-ray discs are more expensive than standard DVDs. Yeah, I’m aware of that. That’s why I’m more likely to want to rent them right now, to help balance out the cost for the ones that I do purchase.

I don’t begrudge NetFlix the price hike, although $1 to $3 seems a little extreme; too extreme, in fact, for me. I dropped the Blu-ray option from my account, unwilling to pay that much more for my monthly NetFlix fee. So I’m curious. Am I alone in this response? If you have the Blu-ray option on your NetFlix account, are you willing to put up with a 200% price increase, or will you be dropping the option from your account as well?

Reprinted from e-mail:

”You are receiving this email because you added unlimited Blu-ray access to your account for $1 a month. The number of Blu-ray titles has increased significantly and will continue to do so. As we buy more, you are able to choose from a rapidly expanding selection of Blu-ray titles. And as you've probably heard, Blu-ray discs are substantially more expensive than standard definition DVDs.

As a result, the monthly charge for Blu-ray access is increasing for most plans and will now vary by plan. The charge for monthly Blu-ray access on your 2 DVDs at-a-time (Unlimited) plan will increase from $1 a month to $3 a month. The price of your 2 DVDs at-a-time (Unlimited) plan is not changing…