Millions of Netflix users could soon find they no longer get free access to the firm’s catalogue of popular films, boxsets and documentaries. The streaming firm wants to crack down on the popular practice of password sharing which basically lets one account holder dish out their access to friends and family living in a different location.
Netflix says it’s costing them millions in lost revenue with the company recently confirming plans to stop its users from handing over their log in details to others.
Confirming the news, Netflix said: “Later in Q1, we expect to start rolling out paid sharing more broadly. Today’s widespread account sharing (100M+ households) undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business.”
Now, it seems we know a little more about how Netflix intends to stop users from sharing their passwords with the company accidentally posting full details online.
The update, which was added to some help pages but has since been removed, explained that devices which want to access content must be connected to the bill payer’s Wi-Fi at least once a month.
The Netflix app must also be opened and content watched to keep it active. If this process isn’t followed then a barrage of alerts will then be sent to the screen with a block then enforced.
For anyone who shares their account with family members living in other parts of the country, this is clearly going to mean they will no longer be able to tune in for free as they would need to pack their TVs, tablets and phones in the car, drive to the account holders home and plug things in every 30 days.
However, there could be a way to log in for a much cheaper price than a standard £6.99 subscription.
In some parts of South America, where Netflix has already been trailing the password-sharing block, the firm has allowed two sub-accounts to be added to a main bill for around £3 extra.
It’s not yet clear when or which parts of the world will be hit by these changes but it’s likely that a full rollout could be enforced within the next few months.
Netflix is clearly aware that this change might not be popular and so it’s trying to soften the blow by adding features such as easy ways to transfer profiles to a new account and being able to monitor devices using accounts.
“While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly,” the streaming firm said.
“So we’ve worked hard to build additional new features that improve the Netflix experience, including the ability for members to review which devices are using their account and to transfer a profile to a new account. As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with. As is the case today, all members will be able to watch while travelling, whether on a TV or mobile device.”