According to a recent announcement from Netflix, the streaming service has banned the use of multiple household accounts in Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal.
In these nations, people will have to pay for an “extra member” if they share an account with someone who does not live with them. These are the prices:
- Canada – $7.99 CAD
- New Zealand – $7.99 NZD
- Portugal – 3.99 euros
- Spain – 5.99 euros
Prices are per person, and a Netflix Standard or Premium plan can accommodate the addition of up to two more users. Each person will receive a profile, tailored recommendations, a login, and a password for an additional cost. Alternatively, users who now share a Netflix account with a non-family member can move their profile to a different, paid Netflix account.
Customers must set up a primary location with Netflix for everyone in the home to access the account. Netflix claims that members can still access content while on the go. More facts about how travel operates are needed on the Netflix website, but when prompted, Netflix withheld them. Users must choose a Primary Location to prohibit account sharing. The Netflix app must be opened on a mobile device while connected to the Wi-Fi network at the Primary location once per month, according to Netflix’s policy in Canada for those who have second residences or often visit other locations.
Open the Netflix app on your mobile device(s) once a month in your primary location while connected to the Wi-Fi network, and then when you get to your second location if you are a frequent traveler or have a second residence.
This implies that Netflix will require regular visits to a Primary Location for you to access the streaming service when you are not at home.
More than 100 million families share accounts, according to Netflix, which affects its “capacity to invest in exciting new TV and films.” According to the corporation, a Netflix account is “designed for one household,” which started enforcing this limit last year.
In a press release announcing its Q4 earnings results, Netflix stated that it aims to impose regulations against password sharing more generally in 2023. In many Latin American nations, Netflix has already been testing limitations on access for multiple household accounts.
IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity will be used to enforce password-sharing policies. In the United States, Netflix has yet to make any announcements. The business is conscious that it won’t be a “universally popular decision”. It expects “a bit of a cancel reaction” as the crackdown intensifies. In light of the $7.99 price for an extra person in New Zealand and Canada, Netflix may eventually impose a comparable add-on charge in the United States.
Netflix ignored multi-household password sharing for so long that charging for account access to friends and family is sure to irk some subscribers, even though the terms of service have never explicitly permitted it.
The price structure of Netflix’s plans, which charges for viewing across multiple devices, could be more effective. For instance, Netflix’s Premium plan allows for simultaneous viewing on four devices in Ultra HD 4K, with the restriction that all viewers must reside in the same house.
