Netflix is getting ready to crack down on unauthorized password sharing among its subscribers. The platform is rolling out a test in three countries that will allow the primary account holder to pay an additional fee to share its account with users outside of its household.
Chengyi Long, director of product innovation at Netflix explained the reasoning for this recent crackdown on password sharing in a blog post: “We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans. While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households—impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.”
Netflix will launch this test in Chile, Peru and Costa Rica. Paid subscribers will be offered an “add an extra member feature” that will allow them to add subsidiary accounts for up two people outside of their household with their own profile, personalized recommendations, login and password. The company will also test the ability to let subscribers transfer their user profiles to new accounts.
The current subscription rate for Netflix subscribers is $9.99 for its basic plan, $15.49 for its standard plan and $19.99 for its premium plan.