Like jaywalking and wear white after labor day, sharing Netflix passwords with people outside your household has become a socially acceptable way to break the rules. For years, users have gotten away with using someone else’s login credentials to stream content for free, even though they haven’t spoken to the account holder since the last season of stranger things fall. Netflix recently rolled out a new feature that suggests their relaxed approach to password sharing may soon be coming to an end. When this happens, a large portion of their viewer base will be affected. According to time2play44.4% of Netflix users rely on the account of someone outside their household to access the service.
The site surveyed 1,523 Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia to get a better idea of the nation’s streaming habits. They found that nearly half of all active Netflix users in March 2022 depended on the generosity of others to access the site. Among paid subscribers, 50% admitted to sharing their login information with people they did not live with (which technically violates of the society Terms of use). These followers share their accounts with an average of 2.3 people.
After giving so many non-subscribers a taste of their content, Netflix has come up with a plan to make them pay – or at least make someone else pay for them. In March, the service began testing a pop-up in select markets that asks viewers to confirm they live with the account owner. This can be deferred by selecting the “check out later” option, but this may not be the case any longer. In March, Netflix announced plans to charge subscribers an additional $2.99 to allow external users to access their accounts. They will test the new policy in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru before deciding to launch it elsewhere.
By introducing the new fees, Netflix aims to generate profit from password sharers without completely ostracizing them. It’s a tricky balance to strike, as according to time2play’s survey, 79% of non-paying users say they wouldn’t sign up for their own account if Netflix clamped down on them. Whether they’re willing to pay the real account holder $3 a month for their password privilege remains to be seen, especially if they haven’t spoken to that person since they shared a dorm at home. ‘university.
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