AC students struggle to keep up with soaring subscription costs
Multiple entertainment services, including Netflix and Spotify, have raised their prices in Canada over the past six months, forcing students to consider how they manage their subscriptions.
Some students, such as Nithenya Ramachendrabarabbhu, prioritize functional subscriptions as opposed to entertainment services because of the value they bring.
“It annoys me,” Ramachendrabarabbhu said about price increases. “I prefer paying for something like Amazon Prime because Netflix just gives you entertainment, but with Amazon, at least you save money by buying online. If I see any other subscriptions raise their prices I will skip on them.”
Spotify increased its standard monthly subscriptions from $10.99 to $12.69 in December. Just one month later, on Jan. 21 , Netflix introduced a $2 increase to all plans bringing their monthly subscriptions up to $30.
Edana Hollinger, a health and fitness student, does not mind the price increases as long as they reflect the rest of the economy.
“The best thing is that everything goes up at the same time, and we’re not paying more for our software than what we pay to live,” Hollinger said.
Hollinger also feels that she doesn’t want to criticize the increasing prices without doing her due diligence on the issue.
“I also don’t like to complain too much unless I’m putting in the work to make a change,” Hollinger said. “Most people just voice things and do nothing about it after.”
In a recent statement, Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos justified the decision.
“You know, when you’re going to ask for a price increase, you better make sure you have the goods and the engagement to back it up,” Sarandos said in Netflix’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Jan 22.
Many students across Algonquin College are feeling the impact of these costly subscription fees
Brock Barclay has been using his parents’ Spotify plan but is still unhappy with the prices.
“For a college student that doesn’t have much cash flow, I couldn’t afford it without working away my weekends. If my parents stop paying for it, I don’t know what I’d do,” Barclay said.
