Netflix will soon test charging users for password sharing. The streaming service will soon launch a test directed at cracking down on password sharing outside a user’s household.
Sharing your Netflix password with someone for free outside your household may soon charge you extra. The US-based streaming giant will soon begin a test in which main account holders will pay an added fee for users on their accounts that are located outside their households, the company announced Wednesday. Basically, it is an attempt by the company to address illicit password-sharing.Also Read – Mai Trailer: Sakshi Tanwar’s Performance as Revenge-Seeking Mother Will Give You Chills | Watch
The test, which will create an “add an extra member” feature, is first launching in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.
Extra members will get a separate login and password, and while they’ll have to pay more, the extra user fee will cost less than having another account entirely (between roughly $2 and $3 per month, depending on the country). Also Read – Amid Russia Ukraine Conflict, Netflix Makes Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s ‘Servant Of The People’ Available To Stream
Users will also have the ability to transfer profiles to a new account. The features will roll out over the next few weeks, according to Variety. Also Read – Netflix Raises Subscription Prices in UK, Ireland
“We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans,” the company said in a statement. “While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared.”
The improper sharing of accounts outside the household has impacted Netflix’s “ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members,” the company said.
Netflix prohibits password sharing in its terms and conditions, but it has been lax with enforcing the policy over the years. In 2016, the company even said it was fine with users sharing their passwords as long as they didn’t sell them.
In recent years, though, Netflix has taken greater action against the practice.
Last year, the company tested a prompt on viewers using accounts owned by people outside their households. It read, “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.” Users were then asked to either verify the account with a text or email code or start their own Netflix trial.
