As the demand for high-definition Blu-ray movie discs continues to increase, Netflix will now increase high definition disc fees to help boost inventory so that it can fairly keep pace with anticipated demand.
"We're committed to providing a high quality Blu-ray experience for our members who choose to add Blu-ray access, and in order to do that we need to adjust Blu-ray pricing," Netflix VP of Marketing Jessie Becker said in a statement on the company's blog. "As a result, the monthly charge for Blu-ray access is increasing for most plans and will now vary by plan."
A Netflix subscriber currently receiving three movie discs and unlimited streaming rentals will now be forced to pay $21 per month, which is an increase from $17 per month. The company previously charged a $1 premium for Blu-ray rentals, regardless of the particular plan.
Full pricing updates can be found on the company's blog.
Netflix has more than 1,300 Blu-ray movie titles available to rent, and will be able to increase that number thanks to the price hike. Despite the higher cost of Blu-ray movies, Netflix aims to double the number of Blu-ray subscribers before the end of 2009.
Netflix carved out a niche market for itself by offering DVD rentals by mail with an intuitive online management interface. The service now caters to more than 10 million subscribers and Blu-ray now controls about 10 percent of the company's overall movie rentals.
The new rental rates will officially go into effect on April 27.
