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News.com.au
13-08-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Netflix raises monthly cost for Australian users
Netflix has raised its membership prices once more. Account holders on Netflix's two standard plans will now be slogged an extra $2 per month, with the cheapest Netflix option, 'Standard with ads,' rising from $7.99 to $9.99 per month. The standard, ad-free plan will rise from $18.99 to $20.99 per month. Netflix's premium plan will see the steepest increase, up $3 per month from $25.99 to $28.99. There's also been a $1 price hike across the board to add an extra member to any of the plans. Netflix last increased its prices in May 2024 – before that, the premium plan was $22.99, meaning users on this plan have seen a 26 per cent price increase over the past 15 months. Tech website Tom's Guide reports that back when Netflix first launched in Australia, the monthly cost for a 'basic' (ad-free) subscription was $8.99. The streamer's premium plan was just $14.99 when it launched, compared to $28.99 today. In recent years, Netflix has focused efforts on cracking down on password sharing between households. Netflix started sending out emails in May of 2023 to Australian users who were sharing their Netflix account with people outside their household. 'Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with – your household,' the streamer warned at the time. In other Netflix news, royal reporter Bronte Coy revealed overnight that Prince Harry and wife Meghan are 'over the moon' to have inked a new deal with the streamer, which comes amid a challenging period for Harry. The couple confirmed their 'first-look' deal on Monday, which – unlike their previous multimillion-dollar, exclusive agreement – gives the streaming giant the opportunity to view and potentially buy any future productions before they are shopped around to other studios. It's understood to be worth significantly less than the contract Harry and Meghan signed back in 2020 – but a source close to the couple told that they were 'thrilled' with the new arrangement. 'Where Netflix was five years ago is a very different place to where it is today. Obviously, five years ago there was the pandemic and the way they operated as a business was different – they paid people for exclusivity,' the insider pointed out. 'Now the landscape has changed so [Harry and Meghan] are thrilled to have been signed on for another deal.'
The Standard
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Standard
Mandatory Provident Fund's first-half gains hit eight-year high
The average MPF account holder reportedly saw a paper profit of HK$24,213 between January and June. SING TAO
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
More than 13m customers still rely on bank branches
More than 13m customers used bank branches last year, according to figures that add to fears about the impact of swathes of branch closures. It showed that despite a shift to digital banking, many 'remain reliant on bank branches for essential services', according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which revealed the number in its latest Financial Lives report. The figure, covering the year to May 2024, represented 26 per cent of all account holders. That was down sharply from 63 per cent since 2017 'but also highlights the continued importance of in-branch banking for many adults'. Regular use of branches has halved since 2017 but a substantial 9.7m still visited a specific site at least once a month, the report found. And there were 3.3m, or 7 per cent of account holders, who neither banked online nor used an app – customers who would effectively be left stranded by branch closures. That proportion rose among older customer, to 17 per cent among those 65 and over and 46 per cent for those aged 85 and over. Those in low-income households, or suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis or HIV infection also showed lower rates of adoption of digital banking. Among reasons given was that people preferred to speak with someone in person or feared digital banking was not secure. The survey also found 21 per cent of account holders had experienced the closure of a branch they had been using regularly. Separate figures by consumer group Which? showed that more than 6,000 branches have shut in the past decade as customers shift towards digital banking. But campaigners and MPs fear the elderly and the vulnerable are being left behind. Jenny Ross, money editor at Which? said: 'As the UK's bank branch network continues to be cut to the bone, more people are finding it difficult to access banking services. The needs of these people must not be ignored.' Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: 'The disappearance of face-to-face banking risks cutting a significant minority of the older population out of an essential service, making it difficult if not impossible for them to maintain their independence.' Former pensions minister Ros Altmann said: 'Millions of British citizens cannot and do not use online or mobile banking and indeed don't even have a smartphone. These digitally excluded people are often disabled or elderly and are being increasingly locked out of British life. We must not let this happen.' Nationwide, which has committed to keeping all of its branches open until 2028, said it had seen a 4 per cent rise in the numbers visiting at least once over the past year. That appeared to be partly driven by customers whose branches had been shut by other lenders switching to the building society.
