Netflix Reveals Plan to Crack Down on Password Sharing In the United States

in Entertainment, Movies, Television

(L to R) Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas in 'Stranger Things'

Credit: Netflix

Say goodbye to your friend’s Netflix account.

The streaming giant behind Stranger Things and Wednesday announced that it would roll out paid sharing in the United States and other countries starting in the second quarter of 2023, according to The Hollywood ReporterThe news came alongside the end of Netflix’s DVD.com, which will send its final red envelope on September 29.

In February, Netflix rolled out paid sharing plans in Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal. Though it has not revealed the price of paid sharing in the U.S., adding a user currently costs an additional CAD 7.99, just under six United States dollars.

Wednesday and friends, shown in a screenshot from Netflix
Credit: Netflix

“We’re pleased with the results of our Q1 launches in Canada, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal, strengthening our confidence that we have the right approach,” Netflix said in its Q1 earnings letter. “As with Latin America, we see a cancel reaction in each market when we announce the news, which impacts near term member growth. But as borrowers start to activate their own accounts and existing members add ‘extra member’ accounts, we see increased acquisition and revenue.”

Having previously encouraged password-sharing, the company disappointed fans when it announced it would crack down on the practice to recoup profits. “Love is sharing a password,” Netflix wrote on Twitter in March of 2017:

Once a leader in the entertainment industry, Netflix has struggled to keep up with competitors like Disney+ and Max, formerly HBO Max. Weeks ago, Netflix announced a plan to lay off employees in droves.

But executives remain optimistic about the future: “With each launch, we learn more about how best to roll out these changes and what matters to members the most, in particular maintaining travel/watching on the go and the ability for people to better control access to their accounts as well as transfer profiles to separate accounts.”

Share your thoughts on Netflix’s new password-sharing policy with Inside the Magic in the comments. 

in Entertainment, Movies, Television

Comments Off on Netflix Reveals Plan to Crack Down on Password Sharing In the United States