Netflix has announced that subscription prices for all new and existing members in the UK and Ireland are rising.
In the wake of continuous rising inflation post-pandemic, the leading streaming service has confirmed that the basic and standard plans in the UK will both increase by £1 a month to £6.99 and £10.99 respectively, while the premium tier will go up by £2 to £15.99.
Existing subscribers will be notified by email 30 days before the change comes into effect, depending on their specific billing cycle.
The increase is immediate for new members.
Netflix is said to have an estimated 14 million subscribers in the UK, and is known for its original series and films.
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Some of world’s biggest shows such as The Crown, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Squid Game, You, Emily In Paris, Sex Education, Tiger King, and The Queen’s Gambit are all Netflix original series, and are among the most successful on the platform.
Speaking on the subscription price rise, a spokesperson for Netflix said: “We have always been focused on providing our members both quality and clear value for their membership.
“Our updated prices reflect the investment we have made in our service and catalogue, and will allow us to continue making the series, documentaries and films our members love as well as investing in talent and the creative industry.
“We offer a range of plans so members can choose a price that works best for them.”
Manchester Museum has been shortlisted for the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year
Danny Jones
Another bit of very well-deserved recognition for our city as the Manchester Museum has been shortlisted for the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year.
Organised by the independent and membership-based British charity, which raises funds through the collection of important works and artefacts, it’s world the single largest museum prize in the world.
Shining as one of the crown jewels in Manchester’s cultural scene, the museum has been named among five other impressive finalists for this year’s award, which is evaluating inspiring projects from autumn 2022 through to winter 2023.
This wonderful news comes at a good time for Manchester Museum, which recently welcomed its one-millionth visitor since reopening to the public in February last year, following a £15 million values-led redevelopment. It really is back with a bang.
With Art Fund keeping audiences and communities at their heart, the highly revered accolade has a particular focus on community engagement, sustainable ways of working, and demonstration of ambition by reinventing what it means to be ‘the best’ museum for the audiences of today and tomorrow.
For context, the Manchester Museum (which sits as part of the University of Manchester) was the most visited indoor museum in the North of England throughout 2023, despite being shut for an entire month, welcoming a total of 790,332 people through their doors.
Speaking on this year’s selection, director Jenny Waldman, who heads up the 2024 judging panel, has applauded each of this year’s finalists for delivering “something for everyone” and keeping “community at the very heart of their programming.”
“Their commitment to innovative partnerships whilst operating within an extremely challenging funding environment is incredible”, she added. “I’m so pleased to see the way they support and centre young people through their work.
“Across a wide range of size and scale, these organisations are all real leaders in their field. I urge everyone to go and visit these extremely special spaces.” So do we.
We’d recommend going along to Stand the T-Rex aloneYou’ve got to see the giant Japanese spider crab(Credit: Manchester Museum/Matthew via Flickr)
As for the museum themselves, DirectorEsme Ward said of the announcement: “Manchester Museum’s redevelopment was the result of 10 years’ collective endeavour, so being shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year is a moment of joy for everyone to share in, from staff and partners to our communities and Manchester itself.
“It is an affirmation of museums’ power to bring people together in building a more inclusive, hopeful future.”
Built on self-proclaimed values of “inclusion, imagination and care”, the museum’s recent reopening has positioned it at the forefront of the sector here in the UK, with new galleries, partnerships, visitor facilities, sector-leading programming and digital innovations.
These updates, along with their existing and award-winning South Asia Gallery – the largest and first permanent gallery in the UK to celebrate the experiences and contribution of the South Asian diaspora co-curated by members from the community itself – are what have helped put it in the running for this prestigious prize.
Visitor numbers for the first year following reopening were up 157% on 2019/20, with 57% of those being new attendees and more than one in seven’s first trip to a museum ever.
The other four shortlisted museums are the Craven Museum in Skipton, North Yorkshire; Dundee Contemporary Arts, the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Young V&A – Victoria and Albert Museum, also in the capital.
The winning museum will be announced at a ceremony at the National Gallery in London on 10 July and will receive £120,000 to put towards internal projects and cultural work. Better still, £15,000 will be given to each of the four other finalists, so everyone’s a winner in a way.
Congratulations again to everyone at Manchester Museum and well done for all your incredible hard work – we can’t wait to be right about you again in a couple of months when we’re confident you’ll be rightly named as the winner of the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year.
‘Disappointed’ Olivia Rodrigo issues statement to Manchester fans after Co-op Live postpones gigs
Emily Sergeant
Olivia Rodrigo has issued a statement to her Manchester fans after her run of gigs at Co-op Live have been postponed.
The US singer-songwriter was due to perform two massive sold-out shows tomorrow and Saturday (3 and 4 May 2024) here in Manchester at the city’s newest venue, the now-troubled Co-op Live, as part of her GUTS world tour – but, due to what has been referred to as “ongoing venue-related technical issues”, these gigs are now the latest in a long line of postponements.
New dates will be announced as soon as they’re confirmed, Co-op Live assured ticket-holders.
Co-op Live said in a statement: “Due to an ongoing venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour on 3rd and 4th May are being postponed. Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund from their point of purchase.
“We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience this will cause for many.”
We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience this will cause for many.
The Drivers License singer also took a moment to assure her presumably-disappointed attending fans that she too was “disappointed” by the situation.
In a statement shared to her 37.2 million followers on Instagram yesterday, Olivia wrote on her Story: “Hello! I’ve been having such a great time in Europe so far and I’m soooooo disappointed that we’re unable to perform in Manchester due to ongoing venue-related technical issues.”
The 21-year-old told Manchester fans that “we’re doing our best to reschedule” the shows.
Olivia Rodrigo has issued a statement to Manchester fans after Co-op Live postpones her gigs / Credit: Olivia Rodrigo (via Instagram) | The Manc Group
Her statement continued: “You can hold onto your tickets for further info or request a refund at your point of purchase. More info will be sent directly to ticketholders.
“I’m so bummed and I really hope to see you all soon.”
As previously mentioned, the massive arena was supposed to open for the first time to the public last night with a performance by US rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, but it was called off at the eleventh hour and fans were turned away from the doors just minutes before they were meant to open.
Co-op Live has now confirmed that the reason for the cancellation was due to a piece of the HVAC (air conditioning) system having “separated from the ductwork”.
Because of this, rigorous testing on the rest of the system now needs to take place before fans can safely be welcomed inside.
The next expected show on the Co-op Live schedule is Keane on Sunday 5 May, before beloved Manchester boyband, Take That, play a massive run of shows from 7-11 May and extra dates on 11 and 12 June.