Netflix is expanding its new password-sharing rules to four other countries, and the new stipulations could increase account costs by as much as 50%.
Key Details
- Netflix recently announced a plan to crack down on password sharing by charging members outside of a household to use the same account.
- The new rule is to stop people from sharing accounts and boost the company’s revenue—as more than 100 million users worldwide use someone else’s account to watch the streaming service.
- The rule is now being extended to Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal, requiring users to pay extra if they want to share an account with someone living outside of their homes.
- The cost differs per country, increasing some users’ new fees by more than 50%.
Why it’s news
Netflix is cracking down on password sharing as the company announced a recent change to start charging accounts sharing passwords outside of the primary household.
The rule is not being extended to four new countries—Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal.
Netflix will ask users in the four countries if they want to add another user from outside the primary household to the account, and prices differ for each country. Portuguese customers will have to pay €3.99 (or $4.28) a month for a new member, while Spanish customers across the border have to pay €5.99 (or $6.43) a month.
Netflix subscribers with a standard plan can add one new member, while subscribers with a premium plan can add two new members, but those with a basic plan are not given the option to add any new members.
In Canada, a standard plan costs C$16.49 (or $12.28) a month, to add an extra member will be C$7.99 ($5.49), increasing the price by over 50%.
Why is Netflix cracking down?
Netflix has estimated that more than 100 million users worldwide are using someone else’s account to enjoy the popular streaming service.
To stop account sharing and boost revenue, the company is beginning to crack down on account sharing by charging members outside of a household to use the same account.
It is estimated that the new change will start in March, and Nextflix is giving users a first look at the changes that will be hitting their accounts in the near future.
The profiles under the primary household will all be able to use the same login information, but Netflix will use location services to determine if a profile is not within the household. If the profile isn’t in the primary location, Netflix will prompt them to create a separate account, and if refused, all streaming to that device will be blocked.
If a user not in the primary household creates a new account, Netflix will transfer their current profile to the new account to keep the user’s show recommendations, watch history, and other profile information.