Netflix Cracks Down on Password Sharing in US, Will Charge Premium to Add a Member
Netflix’s long-discussed password crackdown is rapidly approaching. On a blog found on its media site, the streaming giant outlined the email it would be sending to subscribers who are sharing Netflix outside their household in the United States.
“Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with — your household,” the email begins. It then reassures users that they will still be able to “easily watch Netflix on the go” through either personal devices, hotel TVs or vacation homes. The email details how users can check who’s using their account using the new “Manage Access and Devices” option as well as how to transfer the profile of someone outside of a household to a new membership “that they pay for.”
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The company also explained its “extra member” option. For an additional $7.99 a month, subscribers can add a member to their Netflix account who does not live with them.
“We recognize that our members have many entertainment choices. It’s why we continue to invest heavily in a wide variety of new films and TV shows — so whatever your taste, mood or language and whoever you’re watching with, there’s always something satisfying to watch on Netflix,” the press release concludes.
Under Netflix’s new and stricter regime, anyone using the account outside of the primary household may not be able to access it. At the moment, it’s unclear what steps subscribers who are traveling, vacationing or who have more than one home will need to take to continue to use their account. However, the email did emphasize that subscribers would still be able to access their accounts while on the move.
In addition to the United States, the email was sent to subscribers in Norway, Singapore, Australia, the U.K., Denmark, Sweden, the Philippines, Belgium, Thailand, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, Israel, Ireland, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Colombia and Brazil. Each country or region had a customized version of the same message on Netflix’s press site.
This crackdown is nothing new. During the company’s first quarter earnings call, Netflix said it plans to implement these features during the second quarter of 2023. However, this week isn’t the best one to tell subscribers you’re about to make their streaming lives harder.
On the same day Netflix started sending these emails, Warner Bros. Discovery launched its new streaming player Max, which combines the library of HBO Max with favorites from Discovery+. And on Monday, Paramount announced that its big streaming offering — Paramount+ with Showtime — would cost $4 less than Max’s ad-free tier.
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