Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown reels in subscribers as it raises prices for premium

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix on Wednesday disclosed summertime subscriber gains that surpassed industry analysts' projections, signalling the video streaming service's crackdown on password sharing is converting former freeloaders into paying customers.

In an effort to bring in even more revenue, Netflix also announced it's raising the price for its most expensive streaming service by $2 to $23 per month in the United States — a 10% increase — and its lowest-priced, ad-free streaming plan to $12 — another $2 bump.

The $15.50 per month price for Netflix's most popular streaming option in the US will remain unchanged, as will a $7 monthly plan that includes intermittent commercials.

It also raised its prices for subscribers in the United Kingdom and France.

The company added nearly 8.8 million worldwide subscribers during the July-September period, more than tripling the number gained during the same time last year when Netflix was scrambling to recover from a downturn in customers during the first half last year.

The increase left Netflix with about 247 million worldwide subscribers, well above the 243.8 million projected by analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

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