Whenever Netflix raises its prices — which seems to happen roughly as often as Ben Affleck falls in love with an A-list celebrity — the company always gives the same reason. It needs the extra money, you see, in order to keep investing in the kind of programming and product its 302 million subscribers demand. That’s how the standard monthly price of ad-free Netflix jumped from $7.99 to $17.99 over the course of the last 13 years, including a $2.50 jump just announced during the company’s recent earnings report. There’s still a $7.99 monthly plan, of course, but that one includes ads — and it’s a dollar more expensive than it was a week ago.
Technology
Netflix won the streaming wars, and we’re all about to pay for it
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951361/STK072_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_7_netflix.jpg?ssl=1 "Netflix won the streaming wars, and we’re all about to pay for it")
But let’s be real with each other. You want to know why Netflix keeps raising its prices? Because it can. Because Netflix won. The rest of the streaming industry is competing ferociously over a finite pool of money, dealing with carriage disputes because of dwindling subscriber numbers, and panicking over the future of TV. Netflix is the future of TV.
Over the last couple of years in particular, Netflix has gone from a solid streaming service to a practically unavoidable, virtually uncancellable part of mainstream culture. It has developed a slate of hit originals — Stranger Things, Wednesday, Squid Game, The Night Agent if we’re being really generous — that give it at least something approximating HBO-style appointment TV. It has proven, through things like the Paul / Tyson fight and the Tom Brady roast, that it can manufacture cultural events more or less out of nothing. It pulled off a day of NFL games without a hitch and spent billions of dollars to get WWE’s Monday Night Raw, one of cable’s biggest ongoing hits, onto the platform. And underneath it all, it has built a massive library of reality shows, cooking competitions, and the other filler TV that makes up most of our TV viewership.
Netflix has gone from a solid streaming service to a practically unavoidable, virtually uncancellable part of mainstream culture
Now, for the price of your Netflix subscription, you get a bunch of expensive movies, high-end TV shows, sports, and low-budget reality programs all in one place. You don’t want it all, but you pay for it anyway. That, my friends, is called a cable bundle. And it’s still the best business the entertainment industry has ever devised.
The average price of a basic cable subscription in 2006, the year before Netflix started streaming content over the internet, was between $40 and $50. People watched something like four hours of TV a day, which meant they probably watched about an hour of ads every single day. Today, services like YouTube TV and Comcast’s new sports and news bundle are $70 or more and only provide live programming. Meanwhile, Netflix subscribers watch two hours of the service every day, across all those categories, and are paying as little as a tenth of the price. Many of them see no ads at all. Think of the savings!
Netflix sure sees it that way. Greg Peters, the company’s co-CEO, said on this week’s earnings call that he’s optimistic about Netflix’s “long-term monetization opportunity.” “We earn, right now, only 6 percent of the revenue opportunity in the countries and segments that we currently serve,” he said. “And as long as we continue to deliver on improving the variety, the quality of our TV and film slate, we gradually expand the offering with newer content types, we believe we’ll be able to increase that share progressively every year.”
Translation: Netflix is coming for your entire entertainment diet. And your entire entertainment budget.
As it looks at price increases, Peters also said, Netflix considers signals like engagement, retention, and acquisition. All that amounts to one simple question: do you keep using Netflix when the price goes up? The answer, so far, has almost always been yes. And so the prices keep going up. It’s really just that simple. It’s clear to Netflix that it could charge more — maybe a lot more — and hardly anybody would leave. So of course it’s going to push the limits.
The other way to understand the specifics of the pricing strategy is that Netflix would very much like you to have that ad-supported plan. The company has said repeatedly that it makes more money on the combination of a smaller monthly fee and advertising than it does from the larger subscription price alone. A large percentage of new subscribers are choosing ads — about 55 percent in the latest quarter — and Netflix is beginning to test exactly how much its existing subscribers will pay to keep their Netflix ad-free. It’s no accident that the ad-free price just jumped two and a half times as much as the base price did. And remember: even if we all switch to the ads plans, the prices might still go up. Cable TV is expensive and filled with ads, after all, and Netflix sure likes that business model.
Netflix would very much like you to have that ad-supported plan
Netflix continues to signal that its ambitions are only growing, too. Ted Sarandos, the company’s other co-CEO, indicated on this week’s earnings call that the company is more open to live sports than ever, after the success of the Christmas NFL games and the Paul / Tyson fight. The company is increasingly getting into video games, too, which accounts for another huge chunk of many people’s entertainment budget. Netflix is even starting to borrow tactics from YouTube and TikTok, bringing creators like Ms. Rachel onto the platform.
Reed Hastings, Netflix’s co-founder and former CEO, famously said that Netflix’s main competitor is sleep. Sleep’s still a pretty powerful market force, to be fair. And YouTube continues to be an even more dominant force in people’s video-viewing experience. But Netflix has ascended above practically everybody else — even its ostensible competitors are now licensing their shows to Netflix because that’s where the viewers are, and where the culture is.
The streaming wars have been messy, and they’re certainly not over, but Netflix already won. The only question left is exactly how rich the spoils of victory will be. And you better believe Netflix is going to find out.
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FujiFilm’s Instax Mini Link 3 printer is a much-loved $100 accessory in my travel journal kit. I often tape a printed image next to my handwritten thoughts to preserve a moment in time. The prints produced by the instant film can, however, be soft and muddy — something the new $169.95 Instax Mini Link+ promises to improve.
The big upgrade is a new Design Print mode. It’s supposed to make text and intricate illustrations crisp and legible, but I didn’t see much of an improvement, despite that being a big selling point. I did, however, find that the improved processing inside the Mini Link+ enhanced contrast, colors, and sharpness, to reveal more details in a wide variety of photos, and I think that’s more important to most people.
From my testing, the new Mini Link+ is definitely an upgrade, but don’t expect this, or any instant film Instax printer to perform miracles, especially for images measuring just 62 x 46mm (2.44 x 1.81 inches).
$170
The Good
- Best Instax Mini printer yet
- Improved colors, sharpness, and contrast on most photos
- Fun for creatives
The Bad
- Little improvement on text heavy illustrations
- Expensive
- App is overwrought
FujiFilm’s Instax printers all use its Instax Mini instant film which typically costs around $30 for 20 sheets, or about $1.50 per photo. To print, you need to download the “Instax Mini Link” app available for both iOS and Android.
The app is overwrought with features that let you visualize your photos in real space with VR and use the printer as a remote camera shutter. It also helps you organize your images; imagine your prints in frames, on shelves, or as a collage taped to the wall; and prettify them with text, stickers, and filters. You can even connect your Pinterest account if you want. Fun, I suppose, but I’m not twelve-years old – I’m a full-grown man, damnit, and I just want to print photos in my iPhone’s photo library, and do it quickly!
To do that, I have to first import the image into the Instax Mini Link app, hit print, choose either the Simple or Design mode, then wait 20 seconds for the printout. Simple print promises “smooth color tones for everyday images” and produces softer images that, in general, are still an improvement over most anything the Mini Link 3 can print. Design mode is exclusive to the Mini Link+ and the reason you might want it.
I tested the different modes with a variety of images and generally found Design prints made on the Mini Link+ were superior for faces, landscapes, high contrast images, and macro shots of nature. Everything, really, other than text-heavy illustrations, where I saw no obvious improvement.
For example, look at my stupid face. Photos with intense lighting were susceptible to blowout when printed on the older Mini Link 3. The Simple and Design prints from the Mini Link+ handled the lighting better, with improved contrast, more detail in the eye, and more accurate colors and skin texture.
In the example above, everything in the Mini Link 3 print is super soft and blends together in a muddled mess. The Mini Link+ again offers improved contrast, with visible textures on the rock faces, tree branches, and improved colors throughout. The wooden slats on the barn, lines of individual trees, and wheel detail are more pronounced on the Design print, with less saturation on that big pine to the left.
Here, the Mini Link 3 struggles to depict the snow as anything but a white smear, while you can make out individual snowflakes and depth on the Mini Link+ Design print.
In this example, the Mini Link 3 really flattens the sky and removes the texture from the distant mountain. The greens and blues are more brilliant with the Simple and Design prints, while the separation between bits of gravel and blades of grass is more apparent in Design mode.
In this Spotify screenshot, Design mode sharpens the lettering and artificially enhances the white text with a black outline, most visible on the letters “a” and “s.” Simple mode doesn’t do this. The outlining does make the lettering pop.
I find surprisingly little difference between these illustrations printed by the Mini Link 3 and the Mini Link+, even in Design mode. Strange because this is where FujiFilm’s new printer is supposed to excel. Nevertheless, they all look good enough for hobbyists, and anyone looking to spice up a journal or decorate a room.
1/7
After printing 15 photos over the last few days, the battery on the Instax Mini Link+ is still at 80 percent. The battery charges over USB-C, and, if you’re in Europe, the FujiFilm NP-70S battery can be user-replaced when it no longer holds a charge.
From my testing, I think it’s clear that if you want the best photo quality available in an Instax printer, then the $169.95 Mini Link+ is the one to get. It also makes the case for being a worthy upgrade for some Mini Link 3 owners, so long as you’re not expecting improved prints of text-heavy illustrations.
But its price puts the Mini Link+ into direct competition with dye-sublimation printers like the Canon Selphy QX20 which yields prints that are sharp and accurate with better resistance to water and fading. Otherwise, the Mini Link 3 is still a great printer for the price, and the soft, moody images it prints is a vibe worth $100.
Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
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An Amazon delivery worker sorts packages out for delivery in the financial district of New York City, Oct. 11, 2022. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
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Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
– Amazon to cut 16,000 roles as it looks to invest in AI, remove ‘bureaucracy’
– Uber unveils a new robotaxi with no driver behind the wheel
– Ex-Google engineer found guilty of stealing AI secrets for Chinese companies
MASSIVE CUTS: Amazon said Wednesday it will cut approximately 16,000 roles across the company as part of an organizational overhaul aimed at “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy,” while continuing to invest heavily in areas such as artificial intelligence.
YOUR NEW RIDE: Uber is getting closer to offering rides with no one behind the wheel. The company recently unveiled a new robotaxi and confirmed that autonomous testing is already underway on public roads in the San Francisco Bay Area. While the vehicle first appeared earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show 2026, the bigger story now is what is happening after the show.
Lucid, Nuro and Uber unveil a robotaxi during Nvidia Live at CES 2026 ahead of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 5, 2026. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
TECH THEFT: A federal jury found a former Google engineer guilty of stealing artificial intelligence (AI) trade secrets and spying for Chinese tech companies, ending a high-profile Silicon Valley trial.
FIDO’S BIG BROTHER: Tuya Smart just introduced Aura, its first AI-powered companion robot made for pets. Aura is designed specifically for household cats and dogs, with AI trained to recognize their behaviors, movements and vocal cues. The idea behind Aura is simple. Pets need more than food bowls and cameras. They need attention, interaction and reassurance.
GOING BIG: What happens when artificial intelligence (AI) moves from painting portraits to designing homes? That question is no longer theoretical. At the Utzon Center in Denmark, Ai-Da Robot, the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist, has made history as the first humanoid robot to design a building.
A man faces the realistic artist” robot “Ai-Da” using artificial intelligence at a stand during the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva on May 30, 2024. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Sonos isn’t exactly synonymous with the Super Bowl, although the brand discounts its gear every year around this time like clockwork. It’s knocking 20 percent off many of its marquee products, including soundbars and standalone speakers — all of which can be paired together to improve sound quality and to put audio in more places at home.
Through February 16th, the company is keeping its prices in place on the Era 100 and the larger Era 300 speakers, the Beam and Arc Ultra soundbars, as well as its selection of wireless subwoofers. To put the prices in context, some of these discounts match — or beat — the current costs of Sonos’ certified refurbished gear.
The Era 100 very well may be the best, most feature-packed smart speaker around in its price range. In our 2023 review, we praised its stereo sound playback and improved bass response over its predecessor, the Sonos One. Notably, it supports Bluetooth playback (in addition to Wi-Fi connectivity) as well as line-in audio via USB-C, in case you’d rather plug in a wired audio source. While this model typically sells for $219, it’s currently available for $179 through Sonos, as well as Amazon and Best Buy.
The Era 300 is Sonos’ modern spin on the Sonos Five, offering bigger sound than the Era 100. Its specialty is spatial audio, which sounds incredible when you find a song that’s been mixed just right (the thing is, not all Dolby Atmos tunes are mixed equally). Like the Era 100, this model offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connections, as well as line-in via USB-C. Our review notes, however, that stereo playback is an area where the Era 300 actually falters compared to its predecessor. But given its improvements overall (and since the Five that launched in 2020 is no longer on sale), the 300 is a great speaker to consider if you really want to feel immersed in your music. It’s $379 during the sale period at Sonos and Best Buy, down from $479.
Jumping to soundbars, the second-gen Beam is down to $369 from its original $499 price. While it’s definitely not the most feature-packed soundbar that you can get at around this price, its ability to tie-in with other Sonos products, plus its improved soundstage over the first-gen model might make it worth considering for you. The inclusion of Dolby Atmos is its marquee feature, although we noted in our review that it’s a virtualized effect since it lacks upward firing speakers that truly enable the vertical sound effects to shine. Note that it’s lacking in physical connectivity compared to most other models, with just a power plug, an HDMI eARC port, and an ethernet jack. In the event that you wish to connect the Beam to your TV or receiver via optical audio, you’ll need to purchase this $25 HDMI-to-optical adapter.
The Arc Ultra is a much better soundbar than the Beam, and carriers a larger $899 price (down from $1,099). Our reviewer noted that the bass improvements in this model are such that it can stand on its own without the purchase of a wireless subwoofer. It also boasts more immersive sound quality, plus Bluetooth connectivity, which was missing in the original Arc. The Arc Ultra’s sound can be further enhanced by connecting other Sonos speakers to the mix, although its older Play:1 and Play:3 speakers are ineligible to join the speaker family for surround sound.
If you’re considering either the Bean or the Arc Ultra (or if you already own one of its soundbars), their performance will benefit greatly with the addition of a Sonos subwoofer, of which the company makes two models. The Sub 4 is its high-end option, which is $759 during the sale period (down from $899). Anything this close to $1,000 is extremely expensive for a subwoofer, especially considering that most companies include one with their surround sound systems. The Sub 4 is able to lay horizontally or sit vertically — however suits your room best.
For almost half the cost of the Sub 4, you can get the Sub Mini. It’s $399, down from $499. You may be thinking that even this one is still pretty costly, and I agree. Although, it’s a product that Sonos loyalists were begging for, as before it there was no other choice than to spring for its more expensive subwoofer. In our review, we deemed it unworthy for filling large rooms with bass, but totally sufficient in most other ways. Something cool about its design is the force-canceling effect that reduces floor vibrations, which could be great if you’re worried about disturbing neighbors or other people in the house.
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