Italian blog Tutto Android reports the Netflix streaming service is testing a new, more expensive “Ultra” tier of service that will be positioned above their current top tier Premium plan.
The difference with the Premium profile is subtle, but it is present and affects the price too. In fact, the Ultra plan provides, in addition to support for Ultra HD, the playback of content on four screens at the same time , support for the high dynamic range ( HDR ) and HD audio. Obviously, to be able to enjoy this plus, it will be necessary to have a display that supports it, in addition to the service.
In Italy, the new tier is priced at 16.99 euros, which is approximately $19.80 USD. Netflix currently offers three service tiers: Basic ($7.99), Standard ($10.99), and Premium ($13.99). The service levels allow streaming on one, two, and four screens respectively.
Netflix provided CNET with the following statement:
“We continuously test new things at Netflix and these tests typically vary in length of time,” Smita Saran, a Netflix spokeswoman, said in an email. “In this case, we are testing slightly different price points and features to better understand how consumers value Netflix.”
Saran also commented that not all Netflix subscribers would see the Ultra tier bring offered to them during testing, and that the company may never offer the new plan to its entire user base.
The screenshots accompanying the Tutto Android report suggest that HDR would be an exclusive Ultra plan feature, and that the number of simultaneous streams for the Premium plan would be reduced from four to two. Users on the Standard plan would see their number of streams drop from two to one.
Netflix’s last subscription price hike was back in November when it hiked the price of its Standard plan by $1 and its Premium plan by $2.
