2022 ended with a lapidary message from Netflix: from next year no more shared accounts. The streaming giant, after having conquered several markets thanks to its sustainable formula, has decided to put an end to the practice of sharing accounts. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, worldwide, more than 100 million Netflix viewers use accounts borrowed from paying members. If we consider that there are currently about 223 million Netflix subscribers, we deduce that about a third of those who watch Netflix do it for free.
In a new letter sent to shareholders, Netflix reiterated its willingness to put an end to this practice, adding that the reform will take place within the first quarter, therefore by March 2023. The full letter, shared by Macrumors, reads:
“Widespread account sharing (more than 100 million households) undermines our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as grow our business. While our terms of use have always limited Netflix use to one household, we recognize that this is changing for members who share their account more broadly.
Therefore, we have worked hard to create new additional features that improve the Netflix experience, including the ability for subscribers to check which devices are using their account and to transfer a profile to a new account. As we roll out paid sharing, subscribers in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with.”
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Netflix is already increasing the price of subscriptions for shared accounts
Instead of suspending or blocking shared accounts, Netflix aims to impose price hikes. These will be enforced for anyone who shares their passwords with users outside their home. An increase in subscriptions that has actually already begun in Latin America, where Netflix is imposing a $3 surcharge for payers sharing accounts.
Netflix has never openly allowed password sharing, which it has always prohibited in its guidelines. The platform, however, has always tolerated this practice in recent years, at least until today. In fact, 2022 saw a significant drop in subscribers. Which is why Netflix has decided to stop sharing accounts.
At the moment it is not clear how and when (and by how much) the price increase will be implemented in Italy.
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