Hastings made the disclosure in an analyst call after the release of the company's second quarter report. The executive did not reveal any details about the pricing increase.
"We’ll be commencing the testing of Blu-Ray price increases very shortly, depending on the test results of those, then we’ll move forward with implementing," Hastings said.
Hastings said in the company's 1Q analyst call that the increase could be defined as a "modest premium." But he did not elaborate at that time, either.
He defended the increase by noting that Blu-ray discs cost more at retail -- and he opined that high-def owners are used to "paying more."
In related issues, Hastings said Blu-ray usage among NetFlix subscribers has "continued to be very low, low-single-digits." But he said the company remains hopeful that the high-def disc will help boost DVD rentals.
"It’s something that has promise over the next couple of years, particularly through this Christmas season and beyond, if player prices fall significantly. This will be the first Christmas coming up where there’s dedicated players that are at more aggressive prices," Hastings said.
Comment on this article!
_______________________________________________________
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
______________________________________________________
Phillip Swann is
president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in
dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox
News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The
Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The
Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
Click TVPredictions.com to read more news and features on TV
technology.