Netflix has officially started its password-sharing crackdown. The streaming platform has been testing this in select countries including Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain, and has now rolled out password sharing for Netflix subscribers in the US and the UK. It would expand to more countries soon.
This is the first official rollout for Netflix’s Household setup through which it plans to control password sharing among its subscribers. There’s no word on when it will expand to other countries including India, but when it does then it’s not going to be very easy for multiple people to use one Netflix account.
Netflix password sharing rollout
Netflix is cracking down on password sharing by making subscribers pay extra if they want to add more members to their Netflix account. For example, the Netflix Standard plan is priced at $15.49 per month but you can add another member by paying an extra $7.99 per month. Similarly, the Netflix Premium plan will let you add up to two members for $7.99 extra each.
At present, Netflix is allowing one extra member for the Standard plan and two extra members for the Premium plan. Also, extra members will have to be in the same country to be part of the Netflix account. Netflix will start sending emails to subscribers who use Netflix outside their Household.
How Netflix password sharing will stop
So how exactly is this going to work? Netflix currently lets just about anyone access to an account from anywhere, with restrictions on the number of devices and simultaneous streaming depending on your plan. But now if you’re watching Netflix on your TV then you’ll have to set up a ‘Household’ account and everyone else on the plan will have to login from that primary place.
If there’s anyone else who wants access to your Netflix account, they’ll have to either login from the primary place or pay extra to become a member. In case you don’t set up Netflix Household, then it will be automatically done based on your IP address, device ID and account activity. For people who don’t watch Netflix on a TV, or don’t have one, they don’t need to get a Netflix Household setup.
How will Netflix determine you’re part of one household? It will use information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to make sure that your account is part of the same Netflix Household. The streaming platform also clarifies that it does not collect GPS data to detect the precise physical location of your devices.
