Netflix is launching a new compromise to the outrage stemming from its decision to crack down on password sharing. While the popular platform used to encourage password sharing in its early days, Netflix has begun cracking down on password sharing with people outside the account holders household in recent years to increase revenue.
“A Netflix account is meant to be shared in one household,” says the streaming giant, according to a story from Variety. Netflix reportedly claims it loses around $6.25 billion annually due to password sharing.
Netflix will begin restricting access to anyone attempting to log in from an unapproved account via a combination of IP addresses, device IDs, and other account activity to detect usage outside of the primary household.
Now, account holders can add “extra members” to their plan for $7.99 per month in select countries. In an e-mail to customers, Netflix states that users outside a household can either create a new membership or transfer their profile to another account, or pay the above mentioned fee to add an extra user on top of the regular monthly membership fees. Monthly prices range from $6.99 to $19.99 depending on the selected plan.
Users who travel can still bring Netflix along with them on verified devices and even log into their accounts via televisions outside their household. Members can see which devices are signed into their account and sign out of any they haven’t approved or use anymore.
The new changes are likely to see a similar purging of its membership that Netflix encountered after raising its prices and revealing last year it will no longer allow password sharing. Sources estimate approximately 40 percent of U.S. households share passwords and Netflix aims to regain the approximately 200,000 U.S. subscribers lost in the first quarter of 2022.
Check back with Cord Cutters news as more details about this development emerge and members make their opinions on the change known.