Global streaming giant Netflix has announced it plans to crack down on account and password sharing in early 2023
Netflix plans to crack down on password sharing beginning in 2023. After giving users the ability to transfer their profiles to new accounts, the streamer says it will start letting subscribers create sub-accounts starting next year in line with its plans to “monetize account sharing” more widely.
Although Netflix has threatened this action before it looks like this time they mean business. If there was ever any doubt that Netflix would follow through with its plans to cut down on inter-household password sharing, that is over. This could explain why:
In the first quarter of 2022, the company lost 200,000 subscribers—the first subscriber loss for the streaming platform in a decade.
Preventing password sharing
How can Netflix prevent password sharing, though? This time, the streaming service is asking for money. If password sharing is discovered, it won’t remove the offending profiles from the main account. It will merely require the account holder to make a payment.
Although the company observed an increase in memberships in Q3 2022, it still plans to continue its crackdown on password sharing in 2023. Here are the most recent developments in Netflix’s campaign to prevent account and password sharing.
Netflix has reportedly been experimenting with charging somewhat more for shared accounts with profiles in several households. Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, where the test was first conducted, are their testing grounds. The idea is now being tested by Netflix, but it may eventually spread to all of its global markets.
According to reports, Netflix will apparently provide a mechanism to “simply and securely” continue sharing the account for a modest fee for accounts with users from other houses.
Account holders have the option to add up to two friends who do not live with them by using the “add an extra member” feature. A monthly surcharge of $2.99 will also apply. That’s unquestionably better than requiring someone to open a brand-new account.
The streamer recently reported that 30 million households in the US and Canada share passwords. This is a problem for the streaming platform. With subscribers down, this might just be what they need to boost the numbers.
