How will Netflix end password sharing? Updates to three other countries provide insight

(NEXSTAR) — Netflix has already indicated that it’s ready to roll out some new rules when it comes to password sharing in the United States. Changes rolled out in three other countries show what US users can expect soon.

in Message to shareholders Last month, Netflix said it expected to roll out paid account sharing “at a broader scale” at the end of the first quarter of 2023. The streaming giant estimates more than 100 million households participate in the accounts, “undermining our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix.” “.

The executives made it clear in the letter that they expect some users to cancel their accounts when paid sharing launches but that “borrower households” will start their own accounts. How paid password sharing is implemented and how much it costs has not been released.

Netflix has it It was exploring ways to eliminate password sharingincluding the login verification process in 2021 and Use of sub accounts For people living outside the account holder’s home in 2022.

The latter has been tested in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. It appears that Netflix has rolled out new rules on account sharing in these countries, and updated them Help pages for all three this week.

According to those pages, anyone within the account holder’s home — referred to as their “primary location” — can use that Netflix account. Those outside the home will need to use their own account.

Account holders will need to be set The main site While signed in to Netflix on a TV connected to your home Wi-Fi network. After that, any devices connected to the Wi-Fi network in the primary location will be able to access the owner’s Netflix account, while devices trying to access the account from any other locations may be blocked. If the account owner doesn’t set their primary location, Netflix says it automatically uses IP addresses, device identifiers, and account activity.

Once the primary location is set, Netflix users are required to “watch something at least once every 31 days” in order to keep their devices tied to the location.

In order to share a Netflix account with someone outside of the primary site, the company says that the account owner can add an additional member to their account for a small fee.

Netflix users in these three countries can also It is blocked from streaming on some devices if they try to access the platform while traveling or after moving. In this case, Netflix says users must either stream something before leaving their primary site to establish a “trusted device,” or request a temporary code to verify their device and “continue watching Netflix for 7 consecutive days.”

It’s not clear how accounts with plans that allow multiple screens will be affected by these changes. It’s also not clear if Netflix plans to bring the same system to the US — Netflix didn’t immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment.

Netflix’s move to address password sharing is a shift from the company’s previous position. Then the CEO Reed Hastings (he Step down as CEO last month) in 2016 that Netflix would no longer charge users for sharing their passwords. Instead, call password sharing “something you have to learn to live with”, CNBC reports.

Hastings has never been a fan of ads, describing them as distracting from the entertainment provided by the service. However, in November, Netflix has launched a fourth planBasic with ads, which includes an average of 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour. Users on this plan too They don’t have access to the full Netflix library.