The filename Netflix had for the icons on the left was “PaidSharing”. A small indication of what the company has in mind for the future.
Sharing accounts with people who don’t live in the same household is actually forbidden under Netflix’s terms of service, but the company has never been very strict about enforcing this rule. Netflix is concerned that this is eating into sales, which is why the streaming service provider has been looking for ways to limit this for a long time.
In fact, some Latin American countries are already restricting Netflix account sharing. According to one shareholder letter more countries are to be included in early 2023. It is currently still unclear whether Europey will also be there, but we are still collecting all the information known so far about the measures to be expected for you.
Our author Nils Raettig has tested a way to save money with Netflix that not everyone might think of. You can find out more about this in the following article:
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This is how it currently works in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru
Sharing account data has been restricted in South American countries for months. Netflix customers can choose between two options:
- Add an additional member: Customers who have a Standard or Premium subscription can add up to two people to the account who do not live in the same household. They then have their own personal recommendations and login details. For each added person, an additional CLP 2,389 is due, i.e. the equivalent of $2.49.
- Transfer profile to a new account: Customers who have a Basic, Standard, or Premium plan can give the people they share the account with the ability to move their profile information to an entirely new account. They then keep their history, their lists and their personal recommendations.
Expect Netflix to adopt these two options in other countries as well. Official account sharing is then probably only possible via standard or premium, since customers of the basic subscription have not been able to add additional members so far.
We can also assume that the basic subscription with advertising starting in November will not have the option to add additional members. If you want to learn more about the advertising-financed subscription, take a look here:
New Netflix subscription: Cheapest payment model so far and yet you pay dearly
Another method was tested in Argentina
A different method of restricting account sharing was tested in Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. There was a so-called Add a Home
-Feature introduced.
Customers had the option of more At home
to the account, which had cost the equivalent of about $2.99 per new home. Basic customers could add another home, Standard customers could add two, and Premium customers could add three. However, this method was dropped in favor of the first method.
There is much to suggest that you will incur additional costs of around two to three dollars per additional user if you want to use the function confirmed by Netflix for early 2023. At the same time, we assume that Europey will either be one of the first countries to be added or will follow in the course of 2023. As soon as there is concrete information about it, you will find out at GameStar Tech.
Do you share your Netflix account and what do you think of the plans to charge you for it? Let us know what you think about this topic in the comments!
