Netflix Testing New 'Ultra' Plan Subscription With Higher Price In Europe

Netflix currently offers three different subscription plans, but now it looks like the streaming service is testing a new tier. It’s been discovered recently that Netflix is testing a new “Ultra” plan that will sit above the current Premium subscription plan.

The new subscription tier was first discovered by the Italian website TuttoAndroid. The new Ultra plan has already shown up for some users in Europe and it costs €16.99 in Italy or around $20 in the U.S. The higher tier service would allow up to 4 streams at the same time at 4K HDR. Some people who were currently subscribed to the Basic, Standard and Premium plans were unaffected.

However, other Italian users were reduced down to streaming a maximum of two screens and without HDR support. Some users who are subscribed to the Standard “HD” plan were also restricted to a single stream, according to Phone Arena. In the U.S., Netflix only offers three plans: $7.99 for Basic, $10.99 for Standard and $13.99 for Premium.

“We continuously test new things at Netflix and these tests typically vary in length of time,” Netflix spokeswoman Smita Saran told CNET in an email. “In this case, we are testing slightly different price points and features to better understand how consumers value Netflix.”

The new test won’t be available for all Netflix subscribers in Europe and the streaming service might not even offer the new price points to more users. No comment was made on whether Netflix plans on testing this new Ultra subscription tier in the U.S.

CordCutting.com discovered that the test is also available in other European countries including Germany, which offers the new Ultra plan for €19.99 (around US$23). That’s €3 more than what’s being offered to some Italian users. Pricing for the Ultra plan may differ depending on which browser is used.

Although the new Netflix Ultra plan is just being tested, it could also become an actual new tier if it’s applied to everyone. Pricing for the current plans are unchanged in this test, but the way the pricing is structured seems to be a way to disguise the price hike. Currently, Premium subscribers can stream up to 4 screens simultaneously. If Netflix applies the new Ultra plan, Premium subscribers might be forced to upgrade if they want to continue having a maximum of 4 simultaneous streams.

This is all speculative at this point, but it does signal Netflix’s desire to find ways for its users to pay more for a subscription. The last time the streaming service increased its prices was last October, when the Standard and Premium plans were increased by $1 and $2, respectively. If the new Ultra plan is launched, there could be a price hike of around $6, as pointed out by 9To5Mac.