A court in Rome has ruled that several price increases imposed by Netflix on subscribers in Italy over the past seven years were unlawful. The decision orders the streaming giant to reimburse affected customers.
The ruling followed a legal case filed by the consumer rights group Movimento Consumatori against Netflix Italia. The group challenged clauses in Netflix subscription agreements that allowed the company to increase prices between 2017 and January 2024.
According to the court, these clauses were unfair because they allowed Netflix to change prices without clearly explaining valid reasons in the contract. Judges said this violated Italy’s national Consumer Code.
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As a result of the decision, affected subscribers may receive a reduction in their current subscription price. They may also receive refunds for the extra amounts they paid due to the price increases and, in some cases, additional compensation.
The lawyers representing consumers, Paolo Fiorio and Riccardo Pinna, explained that the increases had affected different subscription plans over the years.
For the Premium plan, price increases introduced in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 added about 8 euros per month. For the Standard plan, the total increase was about 4 euros per month.
Lawyers said a Premium subscriber who has paid for Netflix continuously since 2017 could receive a refund of about 500 euros. Meanwhile, a Standard subscriber could receive around 250 euros in reimbursement.
The Rome court also ordered that the ruling be publicly announced. Netflix Italia must publish the decision on its website and in major national newspapers so that consumers are aware of their rights to refunds.
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Netflix responded to the ruling by saying it would appeal the decision. The company stated, “We take consumer rights very seriously and believe our terms have always complied with Italian laws and practice.”
According to the latest data from Italy’s communications authority, Netflix had over 8 million unique users in Italy in 2024. By 2025, about 5.4 million of them were paying subscribers.
Globally, Netflix remains the world’s largest video streaming company, offering movies and television series in dozens of languages across more than 190 countries.
The company, listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, had an estimated market value of about $420 billion in early 2026 and more than 325 million paid subscribers worldwide.
