[gruez]

>they keep hiking the other tiers

That's why I compared against the 2011 prices. The ad-supported plan is still cheaper.

>cracking down on password sharing or kids off at college

Doesn't password sharing affect ad supported plans too? It basically has no effect on the comparison because it makes both the ad supported and non ad supported plans cheaper.

[ceejayoz]

The crackdown on "your kid's in a dorm, you can't share the account" is intended to get that kid to buy a second account.

The ad tier is cheap so they can say "well switch to the cheap plan" when someone complains about the hikes.