Netflix’s dreaded crackdown on password sharing has an official start date – so you’d better get binging!
The anti-password sharing method was announced earlier this year, much to the dismay of siblings, kids, and exes everywhere who had been scabbing off of other people’s accounts for years.
In an attempt to up their subscriber count and leave their competitors in the dust, Netflix will soon require you to re-sign in to your account on a regular basis.
Netflix password-sharing is about to come to an end. Credit: Pexels
Not only that, but each log in, which users will be required to do every 31 days, will only work if the device they’re using is connected to the account’s home Wi-Fi network.
If users can’t successfully log in to the account, they could be blocked from the streaming service altogether.
So, if you’ve moved out but your parents are still paying for your Netflix, it might be time to think about setting up your own account – or just signing up to a different streaming service.
The anti-sharing method has been trialled in a few countries already, but hasn’t yet come to the UK or the US.
But, all good things must come to an end, as they say.
Expect your parent’s Netflix account to stop working for you soon. Credit: Pexels
On Netflix’s official website, the streaming giant offered customers more info on why they’ve decided to hurt us like this.
Stating the rules regarding household streaming, it reads: “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.”
In a letter to investors last Tuesday (18 April), Netflix confirmed that the password crackdown would be rolled out in most remaining big markets by July.
“In Q1, we launched paid sharing in four countries and are pleased with the results,” the letter seen by the BBC read.
“We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the US, in Q2.
“We’re pleased with the most recent launches of paid sharing, and while we could have launched broadly in Q1, we found opportunities to improve the experience for members.
On the bright side, your ex will finally be blocked from using your account. Credit: Pexels
“We learn more with each rollout and we’ve incorporated the latest learnings, which we think will lead to even better results.
“To implement these changes, we shifted out the timing of the broad launch from late Q1 to Q2.”
Although the letter doesn’t specifically mention the UK, it’s presumed that we’ll be included in this next rollout as a big market for the streaming service.
Netflix estimates that, up until this point, over 100 million households globally are using shared accounts and says that cross-household account-sharing ‘impacts our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members’.
The streaming platform explains they want to enable members who share accounts outside of their household to do so ‘easily and securely, while also paying a bit more’.
So if you haven’t gotten around to streaming Stranger Things yet, now would be a good time.
Source: Lad Bible
