Netflix Cracking Down on Password Sharing in Four More Countries, Including Canada

[I7guy]

I have a driver’s license, a legal address and pay federal tax - I domicile in Texas (no state income tax) where they recognize my mail forwarding address as a legal address. I pay state and local registration fees for my vehicles to Texas and some day I’ll probably return there when I settle down, I have some emotional roots there (I lived there for 5 years in the 1980s and liked it). But I don’t own property there, I don’t have an apartment there, I don’t have a physical location anywhere that is permanent. That’s very common with the full-time RV community, if I get tired of a place or it’s too hot or cold, I move on to somewhere else.

While I don’t think this is a good plan by Netflix, I defend their right to go down the tubes by making the wrong decisions.

How they are going to enforce the concept of household to the nth degree remains to be seen; but maybe it will cut down on the unauthorized password sharing.

 

[Fpmtngal]

I have no problem with the principle of cutting down on unauthorized password sharing. I also don’t have a problem with Hulu Live or other streaming services not allowing me as a Starlink user to sign up for their service - that’s their choice.

What bothers me is when a company or entity of any sort puts in place procedures to deal with some problem without thinking through the consequences of their procedure, in this case trying to stop unauthorized password sharing, when it will punish me, a current user who doesn’t share their password or do anything else against their terms and conditions.

I happen to like Netflix and am willing to pay for it. I’ll be very disappointed if they put in place rules that will not allow me to continue to subscribe, just because I don’t have a fixed location - recently I’ve been running into that more and more. The funny thing is that I’m seeing more people who are choosing a completely mobile lifestyle because working remotely has become easier with Starlink and faster cellular speeds.

 

[rickeames]

Perhaps I should have said that an intelligent student would find something more constructive to do with his/her time than veg out staring at a screen. Waste your time as you will, I didn’t.

clearly as you needed the time to bone up on the "cranky old man" studies that you aced with flying colors.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Perhaps I should have said that an intelligent student would find something more constructive to do with his/her time than veg out staring at a screen. Waste your time as you will, I didn’t.

When I was a student over 20 years ago my time wasn’t wasted. When I wasn’t out getting drunk and enjoying female company, I was smoking weed and watching endless DVD’s in our student slum surrounded by stolen traffic cones. I’d probably be watching a borrowed Netflix subscription if it had been in the present day.

 

[thecombatwombat]

I have no problem with the principle of cutting down on unauthorized password sharing. I also don’t have a problem with Hulu Live or other streaming services not allowing me as a Starlink user to sign up for their service - that’s their choice.

What bothers me is when a company or entity of any sort puts in place procedures to deal with some problem without thinking through the consequences of their procedure, in this case trying to stop unauthorized password sharing, when it will punish me, a current user who doesn’t share their password or do anything else against their terms and conditions.

I happen to like Netflix and am willing to pay for it. I’ll be very disappointed if they put in place rules that will not allow me to continue to subscribe, just because I don’t have a fixed location - recently I’ve been running into that more and more. The funny thing is that I’m seeing more people who are choosing a completely mobile lifestyle because working remotely has become easier with Starlink and faster cellular speeds.

Why assume they haven't thought it through?

I posted about this way more earlier, but seriously, Netflix at its core is a data company, a legendary data company. They basically invented "you might also like" and pushed "the netflix prize" for years.

It's far more likely that customer in your situation just don't factor in very much.

But maybe not, I suspect their tune will change on this considerably down the line. Rather than trying to educate users about what will and will not work (this "you must check in physically every thirty days") thing, they'll just hit the users most likely to be sharing with verification, like lots of sites show captchas. I would think there's no good reason to ever flag an account that is as yours says is it is. I'd bet they have literally millions of accounts streaming from the same two, three, or more sites under different profiles practically every day. They can just go after those.

 

[AdriftAtlas]

I share my account with my family; my sister and cousin. Yes, we live in separate houses but in the same metro area.

I am currently on a Verizon promotion for Netflix for a year. If this nonsense comes to the US then we aren't renewing. Simple as that.

Vote with your wallets Canada, and don't apologize!

 

[I7guy]

I share my account with my family; my sister and cousin. Yes, we live in separate houses but in the same metro area.

I am currently on a Verizon promotion for Netflix for a year. If this nonsense comes to the US then we aren't renewing. Simple as that.

Vote with your wallets Canada, and don't apologize!

Four members in my family, I pay for four streams. Two streams are out of the house. Both streams out of the house will get their own accounts if this nonsense comes to pass.

It’s not like I’m sharing one stream among three households. Netflix should use its data to track down the most egregious abusers, not some of the edge cases that have posted above.

 

[webkit]

I got the annual package and then stacked it with an AMEX $50 cash back offer.

You have to compare HBO’s $15 plan with Netflix’s $20 plan for an apples to apples comparisons. HBO has 4K HDR now.

Maybe, maybe not. I think which Netflix plan is comparable can depend on one’s usage needs. Also, plenty of content on Netflix and HBO (and other services) isn't available in 4K anyway.

There's also the factor of the volume of content available and Netflix wins over HBO Mas there. Of course, desirability of content varies and is subjective.

And they aren’t being sticklers about sharing either.

Not like Netflix (yet) but HBO does put restrictions on number of devices you can stream on per account.

Anyway, for pricing being "delusional", Netflix still seems to be doing pretty well at this point. They added over 7.6 million subscribers in Q4 bringing their total number to nearly 231 million, a 4% increase for the year. Revenue for the year was also up over 6% to nearly $32 billion.

It will be interesting to see how the password sharing crackdown plans work out for them.

 

[Asbow]

Netflix has finally become a corporate husk, pursuing profit above all else, including undercutting the user experience and cancelling beloved shows left and right. I need to cancel it again. I feel so gross every time I open the app now.

Is Tim on the board?

 

[I7guy]

I share my account with my family; my sister and cousin. Yes, we live in separate houses but in the same metro area.

I am currently on a Verizon promotion for Netflix for a year. If this nonsense comes to the US then we aren't renewing. Simple as that.

Vote with your wallets Canada, and don't apologize!

I will vote with my wallet. That’s for sure.

 

[thecombatwombat]

I share my account with my family; my sister and cousin. Yes, we live in separate houses but in the same metro area.

I am currently on a Verizon promotion for Netflix for a year. If this nonsense comes to the US then we aren't renewing. Simple as that.

Vote with your wallets Canada, and don't apologize!

I find things like this really interesting. It's not just Netflix, for as long as there has been piracy, software sharing, whatever.

Everyone sort of sets their own rules. Why does it matter that you're in the same metro in your mind? What if it's just friends in a metro? What if they're really really good friends? What if you only share with people who share your same birthday?

If your sister moved, but Netflix still didn't stop her from using your account, would you change your password and kick her off?

Like people understand the rules, but insert their own. And think about it a lot. In detail. For a few dollars a month.

 

[Galas]

10 year user.

 

[compwiz1202]

Just not worth the money. You get invested in a series, it gets cut. Worse they change the entire flavour of the show. Totally done with Netflix...

Very simple in the entertainment business you need to entertain the majority, not the minority. It's possible to entertain both, equally Netflix seems incapable employing weak showrunners & writers.

Q-6

Those are the worst not just with NetFlix. Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist went from some goofy fantasy comedy that I loved to a drama with her father dying of a disease. WHY???

And Kevin Probably Saves the World was the cancelling one. I loved it, and the storyline was all set for plenty of episodes. The boom cancelled. WHY???

 

[I7guy]

My directv stream allows 2-3 screens outside the house network. This whole should be tied to home network is dumb. Irony is Netflix started with stream anywhere and encouraging people to share password.

Yes, it was a marketing slogan. Shared your password with your household, not with 200 of your closest friends.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Yes, it was a marketing slogan. Shared your password with your household, not with 200 of your closest friends.

I have not seen household thrown around by Netflix until recently. By the logic of home network, Netflix should sell per address like the good ole cable boxes. All confusion cleared, just remove 3-4 screen charges.

 

[I7guy]

I have not seen household thrown around by Netflix until recently. By the logic of home network, Netflix should sell per address like the good ole cable boxes. All confusion cleared, just remove 3-4 screen charges.

It’s a slogan the same way: “what starts in your iPhone stays on your iPhone”. As a point of fact the statement is false and apple has little control over stopping the exchange of information via a cell tower.

 

[Fpmtngal]

I have not seen household thrown around by Netflix until recently. By the logic of home network, Netflix should sell per address like the good ole cable boxes. All confusion cleared, just remove 3-4 screen charges.

Define “address”. Mailing address or physical address? They are not always the same thing - in my case they are never the same, even when I happen to be staying close to my mail forwarding service. Physical address is a real issue for those of us that don’t have a permanent physical address.

Netflix is unlikely to care about blocking people like me - they have millions of subscribers, I think that the number of full-time RVers are in the thousands, so probably would not have a huge impact on their bottom line. I’m still not going to cancel until I read the fine print and see how they plan on enforcing it.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Define “address”. Mailing address or physical address? They are not always the same thing - in my case they are never the same, even when I happen to be staying close to my mail forwarding service. Physical address is a real issue for those of us that don’t have a permanent physical address.

Netflix is unlikely to care about blocking people like me - they have millions of subscribers, I think that the number of full-time RVers are in the thousands, so probably would not have a huge impact on their bottom line. I’m still not going to cancel until I read the fine print and see how they plan on enforcing it.

Yeah. I travel a lot, at times I login to hotel TV screen or on my iPad. How are they gonna enforce it for travelers, vacation homes and RVers. I bet there are fishing for feedback in smaller markets.

 

[TechnoMonk]

It’s a slogan the same way: “what starts in your iPhone stays on your iPhone”. As a point of fact the statement is false and apple has little control over stopping the exchange of information via a cell tower.

Not at all, apple isn’t saying you can’t share your phone or iPad or your computer. I see many families sharing an IPad with Cellular. Netflix needs to get their stuff together.

 

[webkit]

Not at all, apple isn’t saying you can’t share your phone or iPad or your computer. I see many families sharing an IPad with Cellular. Netflix needs to get their stuff together.

What Apple may or may not allow regarding sharing use of an iPhone is irrelevant to the situation here. That would be like saying since Apple allows people to share their iPhone then people should be allowed to share cable/TV service connection with their next door neighbor or people should be allowed to go to a restaurant and order one all-you-can-eat buffet meal and give/share the food with others at the table. One situation is not necessarily applicable to another.

 

[TechnoMonk]

What Apple may or may not allow regarding sharing use of an iPhone is irrelevant to the situation here. That would be like saying since Apple allows people to share their iPhone then people should be allowed to share cable/TV service connection with their next door neighbor or people should be allowed to go to a restaurant and order one all-you-can-eat buffet meal and give/share the food with others at the table. One situation is not necessarily applicable to another.

You replied to the wrong person. I didn’t bring up Apple.

 

[jbachandouris]

My wife and kids live in a different apartment so I told my son to change it to their address. If I'm booted I won't care as its for the kids anyway. I have other streams to watch if need be.

 

[TechnoMonk]

10 year user.

View attachment 2157814

Ouch…

 

[I7guy]

Not at all, apple isn’t saying you can’t share your phone or iPad or your computer. I see many families sharing an IPad with Cellular. Netflix needs to get their stuff together.

Right. It’s a slogan not intended to be the absolute fact. Netflix with that slogan was not imo suggesting to share your password with the world.

Ouch…

Why ouch? Who really cares? People should do their thing.

 

[HDFan]

What bothers me is when a company or entity of any sort puts in place procedures to deal with some problem without thinking through the consequences of their procedure, in this case trying to stop unauthorized password sharing, when it will punish me, a current user who doesn’t share their password or do anything else against their terms and conditions.

As the rollout started in August 2022 in Latin America with 6 months experience they have to be aware of the roaming issue. Whether they care, i.e. business decision that it only affects a small number of customers, or can do anything about roaming customers is another matter.