Netflix has recently increased its prices in Portugal. As an example, on their most expensive plan, subscribers who previously paid € 13.99 now have a monthly subscription of € 15.99.
But the increases may not end there, according to a proposal from the State Budget for 2022. The document delivered by the Government this Monday foresees that streaming platforms will have to pay an annual fee of 4 euros per subscriber starting next year.
Netflix and the competition will have to pay a semi-annual fee of € 2 per subscriber.
“The operators of television services by subscription are subject to the payment of a six-monthly tax of two euros for each subscription of access to television services, to which two operators are commissioned”, according to the document quoted by Jornal give news.
This point is intended to act as a modification of Law No. 55/2012 on “promotion, development and protection of the art of cinema and cinematographic and audiovisual activities”.
As described, “the amount equivalent to 75% of the total amount owed by subscription television service operators in the first half of the year” will be transferred annually to the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisuals (ICA).
It will have the purpose of financing “works of writing and development, production and co-production of national creative works, or in the acquisition of broadcasting rights, transmission and availability of national and European creative works”.
This measure, which will be applied to services such as Netflix, HBO or Disney +, can, therefore, also translate into increases for the final consumer. In the coming months we will have more news about this proposed amendment to the law.