Netflix Price Hikes Ruled Illegal by Italian Court That Says Consumers Should Get Refunds; Streamer Will Appeal

Home Digital Global Apr 7, 2026 2:12am PT Netflix Price Hikes Ruled Illegal by Italian Court That Says Consumers Should Get Refunds; Streamer Will Appeal Rome ruling comes days after Netflix announced it was raising prices for its three plans in the U.S. for the second time in a little over a year By Nick Vivarelli Plus Icon Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent @NickVivarelli Latest Saudi-Owned Broadcaster MBC Teases Postponed TV Series ‘Embassy 87’ About Saudi Diplomats Held Hostage in Iran 4 days ago WME Takes Sales on Yana Alliata’s SXSW Drama ‘Reeling,’ Executive Produced by Werner Herzog — Watch Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) 5 days ago Andrew Mohsen Appointed El Gouna Film Festival Artistic Director, Replacing Marianne Khoury 5 days ago See All Courtesy of Netflix A Rome court has ruled that Netflix price hikes in Italy are illegal. The decision sides with a consumer advocacy group which claims the streaming giant broke local rules by raising prices to its service between 2017 and 2024 and said customers are entitled to a refund. The Rome ruling comes days after Netflix announced on March 26 that it was raising prices for its three plans in the U.S. for the second time in a little over a year. In a statement, Netflix said it will appeal the April 1 Rome court decision that does not have any immediate effect. Popular on Variety Italy’s Movimento Consumatori consumer advocacy group said in a statement the Rome court had ruled in its favor because it considered Netflix’s price increases in Italy between 2017 and 2024 as a breach to the country’s national consumer code. That code states that price changes cannot be made unilaterally without stating a valid reason in advance. Italy’s consumer protection laws place a limit on the discretionary power companies have to raise prices to ensure it is fair. The Rome ruling also said Netflix Italia subscribers are entitled to a reduction in ​their current subscription price and should be refunded for unduly paid past subscription costs. It ordered the ​ruling to be published ⁠on Netflix Italia’s website and in the country’s top newspapers to inform consumers that their current contractual clauses were void and that they were entitled to a refund. “For the Premium Plan, the unlawful increases applied in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 amount to €8 ($9.22) a month, while for the Standard Plan the total is €4 a month,” said lawyers Paolo Fiorio and Riccardo Pinna, who represented consumers in the case. “A ​Premium subscriber who has ​paid for Netflix continuously ⁠from 2017 to the present day is entitled to a refund of about €500 ($577), while a standard subscriber is due a refund of ​about €250 ($288).” The Rome court said Netflix now has 90 days to comply with the ruling, after which a penalty of €700 ($800) will be imposed for each day of delay. However, the streamer’s appeal is likely to either delay or stop that process. The Rome ruling could become a landmark case in Europe where similar legal action against the streamer’s price hikes has been taken in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, to little or no consequences so far. In May 2025, a single Netflix customer in Germany won a case against Netflix price increases in a Cologne regional court that ruled he should be refunded. But that case has so far not had wider implications. “At Netflix, our members come first. We take consumer rights very seriously, and we believe our terms have always been in line with Italian law and practices,” Netflix said in a statement. According to latest numbers from Italy’s media watchdog, Netflix had just over 8 million unique users in Italy in 2024, while subscribers ‌stood ⁠at 5.4 million in 2025. Read More About: Italy, Netflix, Streamer Prices Jump to Comments More from Variety HBO Boss Casey Bloys Says ‘Harry Potter’ Set Has ‘Serious Security’ Amid Death Threats Against Cast, Weighs In on His Meeting With Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and More Geoffrey Owens to Guest Star on ‘The Pitt’ Season 2: First Look (EXCLUSIVE) ‘Neighbors’ Renewed for Season 2 at HBO In ‘Love Story,’ an Emmy-Worthy Grace Gummer Proves the Meryl Streep Acting Bloodline Is Strong Warner Bros. Discovery Cuts Losses in Q4, Despite Box Office, TV Woes; Nears 132 Million Streaming Subs ‘DTF St. Louis’ Premieres With 2.5 Million Viewers in Three Days Loading comments...