Netflix password sharing crackdown begins, extra member to cost $8 a month

IANS

New Delhi, May 24

 Netflix has started cracking down on password sharing and each extra member who can use the service outside your household will need to pay $7.99 extra each month.

The streaming giant announced its crackdown on password sharing beginning in the US. The company said that a Netflix account is for use by one household.

"Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are -- at home, on the go, on holiday -- and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices," the company informed.

Netflix will use Device IDs, a mix of IP addresses, and account activity such as what users watch and the location of the device to determine if it is you watching or someone in another household. Netflix will enforce the end of password sharing by requiring devices to "check in" in your home location once a month. 

Those who pay for the Netflix Premium package with 4K streaming has the option of adding up to two extra members, but each one will still cost another $7.99.

Netflix in the UK will charge subscribers 4.99 pounds each month for each extra member.

The cheapest plans (Basic or Standard with Ads, which cost $9.99 and $6.99 per month, respectively) don't have the option to add extra members at this moment.

The streaming giant experimented with paid password-sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain in February.

Netflix originally planned to roll out "paid sharing" in the US during the first quarter this year but delayed it.

"We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the US, in Q2," the company had said in its first-quarter 2023 earnings.

"Paid sharing is another important initiative as widespread account sharing (over 100 million households) undermines our ability to invest in and improve Netflix for our paying members, as well as build our business," the company added.