Netflix may have to reimburse Italian subscription increases

US streaming giant Netflix may have to reimburse hundreds of millions of euros to its Italian customers after a court ruling, according to a judgement published Friday by a consumer association.

The Rome court said that Netflix contracts in force between 2017 and January 2024 stipulated that it did not need to justify each increase in subscription prices, when under Italian law it was required to.

Netflix will now have to inform its past and present customers, reinstate the original prices they signed up for, and reimburse them for the difference.

This ruling, which also invalidates other clauses in contracts, could delight millions of customers.

Netflix went from 1.9 million customers in Italy in 2019 to about 5.4 million in October 2025, according to the Movimento Consumatori (Consumer Movement) association, which initiated the legal action.

A Premium customer who has been subscribing since 2017 would be entitled to 500 euros ($575), and a Standard-plan customer to 250 euros, for a total that could reach several hundred million euros.

Netflix will appeal the decision, a spokeswoman told AFP, which could suspend the reimbursements while the case is heard.

The spokeswoman for the US giant stressed that Netflix takes consumer rights "very seriously" and that the contract clauses "have always complied with the regulations and practices in force in Italy".

If Netflix does not reimburse customers, the president of Movimento Consumatori, Alessandro Mostaccio, has threatened a class action "to ensure that all users get back what they have paid unduly".

The US giant established itself worldwide with a broad range of programmes offered via low-cost subscriptions, before regularly increasing its prices.

In Italy, for example, the standard rate has risen from 9.99 euros in 2017 to 13.99 euros today.

The group has 325 million subscribers worldwide and last year posted record turnover of $45.2 billion.