The company added nearly 8.8 million worldwide subscribers during the July-September period, more than tripling the number gained during the same time last year when Netflix was scrambling to recover from a downturn in customers during the first half last year. It also raised its prices for subscribers in the U.K. will remain unchanged, as will a $7 monthly plan that includes intermittent commercials. The $15.50 per month price for Netflix's most popular streaming option in the U.S. a 10% increase - and its lowest-priced, ad-free streaming plan to $12 - another $2 bump. In an effort to bring in even more revenue, Netflix also announced it's raising the price for its most expensive streaming service by $2 to $23 per month in the U.S. SAN FRANCISCO - Netflix on Wednesday disclosed summertime subscriber gains that surpassed industry analysts' projections, signaling the video streaming service's crackdown on password sharing is converting former freeloaders into paying customers.
