BY MILES SCROGGINS, STAFF WRITER

If the second season of “Stranger Things” wasn’t exciting enough, here is another thing to look forward to: Netflix is raising the prices on its most popular subscription plan. The previous $8.99 premium monthly fee will now spike up to $10.99. One would think this would result only in another financial situation for Augsburg students to worry about. Will this new price affect the use of video streaming on campus between classes? Probably not.

When asked, several students reported feeling unaffected by the pricing increase. There are other options such as Hulu and Amazon Prime Video within reach for our leisurely video streaming needs after classes. Even with the two dollar increase in payment plans, most students have stated that they will not change subscriptions and will just live with Netflix’s charges.

This is not the least bit surprising. Netflix is a highly popular service giving viewers quality entertainment with no commercial interruptions. Its hit original content includes “13 Reasons Why” and “Orange is the New Black.” Over the years, consumers have become attached to the immediacy of binge watching Netflix’s shows and movies. In fact, the demand has become so strong that some users can live with an increase in their monthly bills. They will still go to school on time and still feed themselves. For some people living on campus without cable, Netflix might be the only source of entertainment. One or two dollars a month will not tempt cord cutting.

Some students should not feel pressured to cancel their subscriptions right away This change is currently affecting only first-time subscribers. Netflix subscribers will be notified about the change, and the change will go into effect during the next billing cycle. Those ending their “Netflixing” days are blowing things out of proportion. People have a choice of plan between the cheap standard or the pricy premium.

Bingeworthy content helps students take their minds off the stresses of exams and papers. There is a way that we can see this as a good thing. With the price going up, there can be more money for the Netflix corporation to come out with new addictive shows and movies to add to binge-watch lists. This only means more strange “Stranger Things” things and more “Defenders” adventures. It does not seem like the increase in pricing is a huge burden on people’s shoulders. Watching good, commercial free entertainment on the couch with friends and loved ones at the end of the day is worth more than any monthly fee.

This article first appeared in the Friday, October 13, 2017, Edition of The Echo.