Netflix to Expand Crackdown on Password Sharing in Q1 2023

Netflix today said that it plans to roll out paid sharing "more broadly" in the first quarter of 2023, expanding a crackdown on Netflix accounts that are shared between multiple households.

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In a Q4 shareholder letter explaining the changes [PDF], Netflix says that widespread account sharing undermines its ability to invest in and improve the service.

Today's widespread account sharing (100M+ households) undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business. While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly.

So we've worked hard to build additional new features that improve the Netflix experience, including the ability for members to review which devices are using their account and to transfer a profile to a new account. As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don't live with.

Based on testing in Latin America, Netflix says that it is anticipating "some cancel reaction" in each market where paid sharing is introduced, but an overall improvement in revenue is expected as "borrower households" activate standalone accounts and as extra member accounts are added. According to Netflix, an estimated 222 million paying households share passwords with an additional 100 million households that could be monetized.

Netflix will require people who share accounts with others outside of their household to pay to do so. Add-on payments have already rolled out in some Latin American countries, with Netflix charging around $3 extra for an additional non-household user. A report from The Wall Street Journal in December suggested Netflix could charge just under $6.99 for account sharing in the United States.

Netflix plans to enforce password sharing rules through IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity.

The terms of service for Netflix have never allowed for multi-household sharing, but Netflix has allowed the practice for so long that implementing fees for offering account access to friends and family could upset some subscribers.

Pricing on Netflix plans includes watching on multiple supported devices in addition to affecting streaming quality, but Netflix does not want multiple viewers using the same account unless they live together. Netflix's premium plan, for example, allows for Ultra HD 4K streaming and support for watching on four supported devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs at one time, but in the future, access will be limited to people in the same home.

Tag: Netflix

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Top Rated Comments

Moonjumper Avatar
32 months ago
If you require a multiple-user subscription to get the best quality image, don't be surprised if people share their account with other users.
Score: 75 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mpmbeast Avatar
32 months ago

Good, pay their price for their service or unsubscribe but sharing with those outside your household is against the TOS and analogous to theft.

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/124925

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/123277

Simple as that.
zzzzz If you post extra for 4 screens at a time, what difference does it make if 1 or 2 of them screens are located in a different house? So 4 people watching Netflix in the same house is fine but 2 in the same house and 2 elsewhere isn’t? Wow. This is just greed, greed that will backfire spectacularly as lord will just cancel. I cancelled my Netflix a while ago because of a few reasons, one the rumours of this happening. I refuse to hand over my money to ANY company that would do this.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaycrystal626 Avatar
32 months ago
I guess all those families with kids in College getting screwed! What if people travel a lot? They can't lack down to one IP address.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
32 months ago
In the first quarter, Netflix will lose all the revenue money "more broadly". This is not going to end very well for them. In addition, Netflix needs to focus on not charging extra for streaming video quality.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
32 months ago

In a Q4 shareholder letter explaining the changes, Netflix says that widespread account sharing undermines its ability to invest in and improve the service.
:confused:




https://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/17/your-shared-netflix-password-is-safe-the-ceo-says.html

"Password sharing is something you have to learn to live with, because there’s so much legitimate password sharing, like you sharing with your spouse, with your kids .... so there’s no bright line, and we’re doing fine as is."


https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/netflix-is-cool-with-you-sharing-your-account/

"We love people sharing Netflix," CEO Reed Hastings said Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show here in Las Vegas. "That's a positive thing, not a negative thing."

Attachment Image
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Klagarde Avatar
32 months ago
Interested how this will go, as this could very well backfire. In my case I have seen everything I want to see on Netflix and would probably cancel.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)