For years, Netflix has dominated in-home entertainment options with hundreds of popular TV series and films to choose from, especially when they produce quality content that can compete with the most popular wide-release movies and biggest network shows. Given the type of quality content the studio has been producing for a few years now, it is no surprise that they have increased their prices. Of course, the ones still mooching off their parents’ account or logged into an ex-girlfriend’s will not be affected.

“House of Cards,” “Orange Is The New Black,” “Stranger Things,” “Narcos,” a universe of intersecting Marvel superhero shows and various films have become household names for many subscribers thanks to Netlflix.

Netflix is so engrained into today’s culture it is practically inescapable from the phrase “Netflix and chill” to answering “I’m watching Netflix” when asked “What are you watching?”

For less than the price of most movie tickets, subscribers have endless hours of entertainment at their fingertips. Not only are these options easily accessible, but most of them are good. It is not just outdated comedies and dramas from the 1990s on Netflix, but quality, thought-provoking original productions that make their marks in the world of movies and TV.

Streaming services have caught the eye of academy boards and industry insiders as well. Netflix ended up with the second most wins at the 2017 Emmy awards. The company took home 20 trophies, only trailing HBO, an industry innovator, by nine.

Netflix has even snuck its way into the Oscar conversation, getting critically acclaimed directors and producers to begin working for them with more creative control than most studios would allow. The Academy Awards only allow films that have been released in the actual cinemas, not just streaming productions. In October of 2015, Netflix teamed up with Bleeker Street and distributed Cary Fukunaga’s “Beasts of No Nation” in theaters for a limited time, making it eligible to compete in the most notable film-centric awards program in the world.

For those subscribed to the standard service, the rate of $9.99 has increased to $10.99. Their premium service, providing four screens and ultra HD content, has increased from $11.99 to $13.99.

This is not the first time the company has upped their prices, but they have done so at a not-so-very coincidental time for the company. It has announced this pricing alteration only a couple of weeks prior to the season two release of “Stranger Things,” a series that has spread like wildfire through younger audiences and pop culture.

For anyone with a subscription to Netflix, whether they are entertainment junkies or just casual TV watchers, this increase probably will not break their banks. Most people will only see an extra dollar taken out of their bank accounts every month, but for the award-winning series and films they have been keeping up with every month, it will be worth it.

Photo: Taylor Woods | The Oswegonian