As a shareholder, this is great news! But even without that, of all the often bloated, overvalued and predatory high earning companies around today, Netflix is one of the ones that has earned its accolades and continued revenue.
They changed the game by recognizing an opening in previously untaped (or barely tapped) markets and remained innovative, even in the face of staunch opposition. And there would be no Hulu or AVP or HBO Go if not for them, imo.
But I'm honestly kind of surprised their earlier price hike keeps being brought up. The reason the 2011 increase was so negatively received is because at the time, there were 0 Netflix originals and they were in a seemingly never-ending uphill battle for streaming rights with the big studios - leaving them with content that constantly fluctuated in quality/availability - so it seemed unreasonable. But once they started producing high end originals it was a wrap.
Netflix has proved to be such a value that it remains a staple in millions of households globally, but especially in the US/North America. I've had it so long that it's become just another utility bill. I don't even notice when the price goes up a few dollars because I still feel I'm getting my money's worth.
