Latest news! Netflix says goodbye to its basic plan, Funimation moves content to Crunchyroll, YouTube Premium raises its prices, and more

Reviewed by Multiscreens+ | Prices, Plans & Bundles

Today, our team of experts works analyzing more than 2,600 streaming platforms in more than 140 countries around the world, detecting every day any changes in prices, new offers and commercial alliances. Our commitment is to provide accurate and updated information optimizing your experience in the streaming market. With us, you will have access to a comprehensive analysis that will allow you to always be one step ahead of your competitors and enjoy all the news of the market.

New Additional Plans for Amazon Prime Video in Colombia and Chile

On August 23rd, it was observed that Amazon Prime Video activated additional plans in Colombia and Chile. Until that moment, this section was only available in Mexico since November 2020 and in Brazil since March 2021. The plans available in these countries are Paramount+, ViX Premium, MGM, Kanal D Drama, Looke, Adrenalina Pura, and Mubi.

Among the highlighted advantages of this collaboration between streaming platforms, subscribers can enjoy a free 7-day trial period and have the option to add the catalogs of these platforms to their Prime Video bill without the need to download additional apps. This follows the trend noted in June when additional plans were added in other regions like Belgium, Sweden, and Poland.

It’s worth mentioning that in the coming days, Amazon will introduce the Transactional business model in both Colombia and Chile, allowing users to rent specific content directly from the streaming platform. This possibility was already available in all those countries that had additional plans.

Netflix price increase in Argentina

On August 19th, an increase in the prices of Netflix plans was detected in Argentina. The ‘Extra Member’ plan remained unchanged in price, continuing at ARS 699 (USD 1.99). It’s worth noting that the streaming platform hadn’t adjusted its prices since the early weeks of April this year.

Furthermore, it’s important to consider that the taxes corresponding to the mentioned prices on the website need to be added. In Argentina, the following taxes apply to customers: a 21% Value Added Tax (IVA, in spanish); an 8% transaction tax, known as the ‘PAIS’ tax; and a 45% tax corresponding to Resolution 4815/2020.

DIRECTV GO adds a new partnership in Argentina

The streaming platform owned by the Werthein Group, DIRECTV GO, is expanding its commercial partnerships in Argentina. The OTT has formed alliances in this country as well as in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru over the past years. On August 15th, the Argentine gym chain SportClub announced its collaboration with this platform. By joining SportClub’s ‘Total Annual Plan’, users can access the DGO Plan Full Combo+ for a year at no additional cost, which includes Disney+ and Star+. Additionally, DGO has incorporated fitness content produced by the Argentine gym network into its plans.

Currently, the streaming platform has established partnerships in this country with the internet company ‘Iplan’ and the River Plate Athletic Club, in order to offer discounts to its members. Moreover, from mid-April to August, a commercial agreement was signed with BBVA, providing a 30% discount to bank customers.

Throughout this year, an increase in the number of partnerships for this platform has been noted, which could indicate the possibility of adding collaborations with strategic companies to expand the offering of its services to new customers in the countries where the platform is available in the Latin American region.

The partnership between Disney+, Star+, and Lionsgate+ comes to an end

On August 11th, the partnership between Disney+ and Star+ with Lionsgate+ in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru within the Latin American region ended. This collaboration had been in effect since June 23, 2022. The decision to terminate this alliance might be related to the news about Lionsgate+’s plans to withdraw from the Latin American region by the end of this year. This partnership allowed users to save approximately 9% by combining the three platforms and billing them in a single payment.

Updates to the plans and content of NFL+

NFL+ was introduced last year as a sports content platform. Starting in August, the basic NFL+ plan began to undergo a price adjustment, increasing from USD 4.99 per month to USD 6.99 per month, and from USD 39.99 to USD 49.99 per year, as it now includes NFL Network (with eight exclusive regular season game broadcasts). On the other hand, the NFL+ Premium option will also undergo a cost modification, rising from USD 9.99 to USD 14.99 per month and from USD 79.99 to USD 99.99 for its annual subscription option. This Premium version includes access to RedZone and NFL Network.

Currently, the platform is offering a 20% discount promotion on the annual subscription for both plans, making the NFL+ plan USD 39.99 and the Premium plan USD 79.99.

Merger of Funimation with Crunchyroll in Brazil

On July 31st, Sony Group Corporation carried out the migration of Funimation’s content to Crunchyroll in Brazil, resulting in a significant expansion of the latter platform’s catalog (over 1,000 new titles). This move provides users with the opportunity to access a broader range of anime content without incurring additional costs. It’s worth noting that Funimation is still available in countries like Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.

When examining the business models of both platforms, it can be observed that they both offer the possibility to enjoy their content in Full HD. Likewise, they share a subscription plan structure that includes various options for users. These options encompass a monthly plan at BRL 19.99, an annual subscription priced at BRL 199.99, and a free plan that features advertisements.

Mercado Libre launches Mercado Play in Latin America

On July 25th, it was identified that Mercado Libre has decided to enter the streaming world in Argentina, offering entertainment content within its own app. The official launch of their new platform, called ‘Mercado Play’, was announced on August 8th. It is available for free with ads, or ad-free for users subscribed to a higher level of Mercado Libre.

The main content of Mercado Play ranges from classics to children’s shows. Their movie catalog includes titles such as ‘Hotel Transylvania’, ‘Monster House’, ‘Whiplash’, ‘Big Fish’, ‘Inglourious Basterds’, and ‘Men in Black’, among others. Additionally, the platform offers a selection of TV series including titles like ‘The Nanny’, ‘Mr. Bean’, ‘Broadchurch’, and ‘The Shield’.

To provide a personalized viewing experience, Mercado Play allows subscribers to choose the language or subtitles among English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Moreover, the platform incorporates filters that enable users to select suitable content based on different audience categories, age, preferences, and parental restrictions.

Before launching its own platform, Mercado Libre had ventured into the streaming world through commercial agreements with platforms like Disney+, Star+, HBO Max, Paramount+, and Lionsgate+. These agreements paved the way for the company’s recent foray into the streaming industry, offering subscription discounts to Mercado Libre users.

Goodbye to Netflix’s Basic Plan

As mentioned in the previous newsletter and following the events in mid-June in Canada, it was discovered on July 19th that Netflix’s Basic Plan in the United States and the United Kingdom is no longer available for new subscribers in these territories. This widens the gap between the prices of each plan, which could indicate an incentive to promote their ad-supported plan. For new users, the minimum streaming quality has been raised to Full HD. Additionally, the minimum number of devices for simultaneous content viewing, previously set at 1, has been increased to 2.

New alliance between Disney+ and Hulu in Japan

On July 12th, The Walt Disney Company, in collaboration with HJ Holdings, announced the launch of a joint plan aimed at Japanese consumers, combining the services of Disney+ and ad-free Hulu. This package is already available and is priced at JPY 1,490 (USD 10.27) per month including taxes, representing a 25% discount compared to subscribing to each platform separately. It also offers the option to pay for both services in a single bill and expands the catalog of offered content.

This move follows the trend of what has been implemented in the United States, the only country where Hulu and Disney+ are available together. Since late 2022, the combination of both services, including advertising, can be acquired for USD 9.99.

Thus, Japan joins the strategy of offering consumers a comprehensive entertainment package, providing access to a wide range of content from both platforms at a more attractive price.

YouTube Premium increases its price around the world

One of the most prominent benefits offered by YouTube Premium is the ability to watch videos without the interruption of ads. Additionally, it allows users to download videos for offline viewing and play the audio of videos outside the app while using other applications or when the phone is locked.

This service has experienced an increase in various regions, including Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Mexico, and Taiwan. These increases range from 8.33% to 48.33%, depending on both the subscription plan and the country in question.

Exclusive Offers in the Streaming World

Streaming platforms are innovating in the way they promote newly released content. Strategies include attractive and time-limited offers.

A clear example is Paramount+, which offers a 30-day free trial to watch the series ‘Special Ops: Lioness’, as well as the rest of the catalog. The promotion is for a limited time, and to obtain it, users need to enter the code ‘LIONESS’. Before, trials were only for 7 days.

On the other hand, DIRECTV STREAM has provided customers of its satellite service and AT&T U-Verse with free access to Showtime for 3 days. This free preview was used to promote the premiere of the 7th season of ‘Billions’.

Additionally, DAZN has presented a special offer: until August 5th, for just $0.99, users could get a month’s subscription to order the PPV fight between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz. This promotion represents a 96% saving compared to the regular value of $24.99 for the first month of DAZN.

Note: The prices listed in this message are those reported by the streaming platforms.

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