Since Netflix sent out that cursed email about two months ago warning us that their DVD and streaming service would cost $7.99 each instead of $9.99 in total for both beginning on September 15th, I'd been vigilantly waiting for the 14th to roll around so that I could unsubscribe completely. "It's an outrage!" I'd tell anyone who would listen. "I am not supporting a company that does not support my need to watch all the TV and movies I want for less than ten dollars!"
That's not entirely true — we all know that a Netflix-less life is not really worth living. I just quit to share an account with my roommate, as I suspect most of the million people who dropped their Netflix accounts this week are also doing. (It was recently cleared up that all Netflix accounts allow for multiple simultaneous streams.) And although the number of people who canceled their subscriptions was more severe than Netflix had anticipated, and although their stock has now dropped 19% (it closed yesterday at $169.25; in July it peaked at $304.79), and although I hate to admit it because I'm the kind of person who saves their pennies in pasta jars and then takes them to the Coinstar at the supermarket before rent is due… Netflix is still not a bad deal.
In July, CEO Reed Hastings said in an open letter that with the price increase Netflix "will take the increased revenue and mostly spend it on more streaming content" because that's where future of the company is headed. This remains to be seen, though. As of right now, it seems they're only going backwards: in March there will be no more Starz programming since the two companies couldn't come to terms on a new contract. But maybe they'll add something better, like AMC, or TCM, or TBS. As long as they don't remove A&E's "Heavy" any time soon (Yes, I'm into reality shows about morbidly obese people. No, I don't want to talk about it.), everything will be okay.