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Netflix Cracking Down on Password Sharing in Four More Countries, Including Canada
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Also stop saying you wouldn't steal an X.
Stealing means that the owner no longer has it, its physical. I have an object, it is stolen, I no longer have an object.
This whole thing is infinitely copyable.
Owner has something, Streams to someone else, at all times object is still in the possession of the holder.
Stealing means that the owner no longer has it, its physical. I have an object, it is stolen, I no longer have an object.
This whole thing is infinitely copyable.
Owner has something, Streams to someone else, at all times object is still in the possession of the holder.
No, it wasn't.
Netflix net income 2024| Statista
Netflix's net profit amounted to 5.4 billion USD in 2023. This was an increase of around 1 billion USD from 2022.
www.statista.com
Netflix Gross Profit 2010-2023 | NFLX
Netflix annual/quarterly gross profit history and growth rate from 2010 to 2023. Gross profit can be defined as the profit a company makes after deducting the variable costs directly associated with making and selling its products or providing its services. <ul...
Is Netflix Profitable? Netflix Profitability 2014-2023 - FourWeekMBA
Netflix is a profitable company, which almost $4.5 billion in net profits in 2022, slowing down compared to over $5 billion in earnings for 2021.
fourweekmba.com
I’m expecting one day to get a “this viewing is outside the household. Please enter the temporary password for 24 hours of viewing” (or something like that).
We would just not be able to view Netflix anymore… and that’s okay…
And from Netflix’s POV, they will still be getting the $20 for the Premium plan paid for by the account holder (because they won’t cancel).
Or, they may just step down to standard 1080p.
In first scenario, they gain nothing but ill-will and complaints from me.
In the second they lose money and gain complaints from me.
Tell me, is Netflix profitable these days? 😂
With all this bad press and renewed attention on Netflix... maybe it's time for them to re-evaluate their existing plans.
Maybe they should offer a 4K plan that doesn't require 4 screens.
I bet there are tons of people who have a nice 4K TV... but who don't watch on 4 screens at one time. Single people or couples. Small families. Etc.
I gotta wonder... is it the 4K that makes it the "Premium" plan? Or is it the 4 simultaneous streams?
If it's the former... I don't think any other services upcharge for 4K. It's just included. 4K is table stakes nowadays.
And if it's the latter... like I said... not everyone need 4 simultaneous streams.
Maybe they should offer a 4K plan that doesn't require 4 screens.
I bet there are tons of people who have a nice 4K TV... but who don't watch on 4 screens at one time. Single people or couples. Small families. Etc.
I gotta wonder... is it the 4K that makes it the "Premium" plan? Or is it the 4 simultaneous streams?
If it's the former... I don't think any other services upcharge for 4K. It's just included. 4K is table stakes nowadays.
And if it's the latter... like I said... not everyone need 4 simultaneous streams.
What Netflix seems to be missing is this -
Many people who will be caught up in this (children of divorced parents w/ shared custody, business travelers who often work out of the state or even out of the country for 45-days at a time, families with one parent training in a military role temporarily, children in boarding school part of the year) are not costing Netflix a dime. It isn't "Illicit password sharing". It's that their definition of a household is stuck in 1950.
For me, as a frequent traveler, I keep an AppleTV in my gear bag, and use it primarily with Netflix. For the past few years, as I've used Netflix less and less, the only reason I haven't CANCELED my account, was the CONVENIENCE of just connecting my AppleTV to the hotel TV and watching w/o any hoops to jump through or any drama.. The minute they make it work, and not convenient ... I'll be canceling. I don't work for them, they work for me. As soon as they decide to forget that, I'll be forgetting them.
This is a very short-sighted play likely intended to appease shareholders who have no real grasp of how the majority of Netflix users actually use Netflix.
It will likely backfire harder than Quickster.
oh well
Many people who will be caught up in this (children of divorced parents w/ shared custody, business travelers who often work out of the state or even out of the country for 45-days at a time, families with one parent training in a military role temporarily, children in boarding school part of the year) are not costing Netflix a dime. It isn't "Illicit password sharing". It's that their definition of a household is stuck in 1950.
For me, as a frequent traveler, I keep an AppleTV in my gear bag, and use it primarily with Netflix. For the past few years, as I've used Netflix less and less, the only reason I haven't CANCELED my account, was the CONVENIENCE of just connecting my AppleTV to the hotel TV and watching w/o any hoops to jump through or any drama.. The minute they make it work, and not convenient ... I'll be canceling. I don't work for them, they work for me. As soon as they decide to forget that, I'll be forgetting them.
This is a very short-sighted play likely intended to appease shareholders who have no real grasp of how the majority of Netflix users actually use Netflix.
It will likely backfire harder than Quickster.
oh well
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I think this is a miscalculation. I only share with my sister who lives in another state. When they implement this in the US, I will absolutely cancel my subscription (my sister knows this). This ”solution” is very poorly thought out. I think they’re overestimating the loyalty of their customers.
Scumbag tactics. They encouraged password sharing and now they're "cracking down" on it.
When your service enables one account to watch content on more than one screen, what is it that people are immediately going to think of? It certainly won't be the definition of the term "household." I kept paying for Netflix's two-screens plan precisely so that my parents, who live 150 km away, can watch it as well, and it's never been a problem or discouraged in any way. That was the sole reason for me to pay more money, and password sharing allowed Netflix not just to acquire many more viewers, but also to make a lot more money because people paid more to include family/friends in their plans.
What difference does it make if I physically share a living space with someone? I pay for two screens so what does it matter how far apart the TVs are, since I can't watch on more than those two screens. If this is really such an issue for Netflix, why not just remove the additional screens from being automatically included in plans? You know, just commit to this thing and tell customers that 1 profile = 1 screen, 1 additional user = 1 additional screen, problem solved by software instead of cracking down on us criminals. Netflix won't do that, and it's clear as to why.
A good analogy would be walking into a restaurant with my wife, ordering a dish that I know is too much for one person and asking the waiter to bring a second fork. If I paid for the dish, why would the waiter tell me that I can't share the meal with my wife? It's my choice how I'm going to eat it since I paid for it, so if I pay for two screens, why isn't it my choice who uses the second screen? I know what Netflix's terms say, that is beside the point since Netflix themselves decided to ignore them all this time. Using the term "household" as a criteria is random and vague and makes no sense, there is no real reason why this should be a limitation. And let's not even get into the infinite variations you can have with that term.
I realize Netflix needs to make more money, but the reason for this problem is that they make poor content. Whenever I see that something is a Netflix original, I know the chances are very high that it is either subpar content or just garbage. Many bad decisions and years of poor content creation brought Netflix to this point and now I have to pay more? I suppose that's one way to make sure I am never again a customer.
After paying for Netflix for years, I don't appreciate now being counted among the group of viewers that need to be "cracked down" on, so I decided to remove myself and my money from this mess.
When your service enables one account to watch content on more than one screen, what is it that people are immediately going to think of? It certainly won't be the definition of the term "household." I kept paying for Netflix's two-screens plan precisely so that my parents, who live 150 km away, can watch it as well, and it's never been a problem or discouraged in any way. That was the sole reason for me to pay more money, and password sharing allowed Netflix not just to acquire many more viewers, but also to make a lot more money because people paid more to include family/friends in their plans.
What difference does it make if I physically share a living space with someone? I pay for two screens so what does it matter how far apart the TVs are, since I can't watch on more than those two screens. If this is really such an issue for Netflix, why not just remove the additional screens from being automatically included in plans? You know, just commit to this thing and tell customers that 1 profile = 1 screen, 1 additional user = 1 additional screen, problem solved by software instead of cracking down on us criminals. Netflix won't do that, and it's clear as to why.
A good analogy would be walking into a restaurant with my wife, ordering a dish that I know is too much for one person and asking the waiter to bring a second fork. If I paid for the dish, why would the waiter tell me that I can't share the meal with my wife? It's my choice how I'm going to eat it since I paid for it, so if I pay for two screens, why isn't it my choice who uses the second screen? I know what Netflix's terms say, that is beside the point since Netflix themselves decided to ignore them all this time. Using the term "household" as a criteria is random and vague and makes no sense, there is no real reason why this should be a limitation. And let's not even get into the infinite variations you can have with that term.
I realize Netflix needs to make more money, but the reason for this problem is that they make poor content. Whenever I see that something is a Netflix original, I know the chances are very high that it is either subpar content or just garbage. Many bad decisions and years of poor content creation brought Netflix to this point and now I have to pay more? I suppose that's one way to make sure I am never again a customer.
After paying for Netflix for years, I don't appreciate now being counted among the group of viewers that need to be "cracked down" on, so I decided to remove myself and my money from this mess.
One dumb thing about the whole tier debacle is that better quality also requires higher tier... 🤦♂️
Some of the people on this forum must have Netflix stocks.
even then with the exodus and cancellation I am not sure I understand their positions.
I never understood the mindset of defending a company which forces you to pay for ( 4 extra movie tickets to watch a movie at High res but limit who can use this tickets).
If you share your 21 dollar Netflix account with a friend. This is not thievery.
the only slithering, 2 face, bloodsucking one is Netflix . Why can’t all plans have 1080p /4k and we just pay for extra people ?
No, what they want is to force you to pay 21$ for 5 viewers, and waste 2 of them.
this is the most backward and wasteful way to implement a service. What is this? cable?
even then with the exodus and cancellation I am not sure I understand their positions.
I never understood the mindset of defending a company which forces you to pay for ( 4 extra movie tickets to watch a movie at High res but limit who can use this tickets).
If you share your 21 dollar Netflix account with a friend. This is not thievery.
the only slithering, 2 face, bloodsucking one is Netflix . Why can’t all plans have 1080p /4k and we just pay for extra people ?
No, what they want is to force you to pay 21$ for 5 viewers, and waste 2 of them.
this is the most backward and wasteful way to implement a service. What is this? cable?
This is a much more succinct way of putting what I was trying to say.
My sense is that people who feel like they're getting ripped off, whether they are or not, are much more likely to switch to a competitor than those who will begrudgingly accept a price increase, but who knows.
Just because you won't be arrested doesn't mean it isn't illegal. If their terms of service say that it must be one household (defined as a group of people living in the same location) and you aren't living in the same location, it is illegal. Just because a law isn't enforced doesn't make it illegal.
Well, I disagree with the terms and conditions. So I am going to cancel. Don’t need Netflix.
You can pay extra and keep accepting their terms and conditions.
Now it will be pay extra for sharing, who knows what else they will do to keep getting more money from each customer.
That’s what stealing physical things meant.
Stealing digital things is taking or using something you would normally have to pay for.
If you take (make a copy of) a media file which normally has a cost, it’s stealing.
If you use a media stream for free which normally has a cost according to the owner of that stream, it’s stealing.
Apart from the legal and financial arguments, it’s really a shame this is happening from the point of view of all the people who share their Netflix as an emotional benefit. Whether it’s those that share it with their parents knowing they would never bother to subscribe themselves. Or friends who get happiness from one paying for Netflix another apple another Amazon etc and all sharing.
I share mine with two people that it makes me happy to let them use it. Neither will pay for it if they have to. So that means I’ll get less happiness out of Netflix. Plus I’ll drop from the premium to middle tier as I only need 1 connection and can accept hd. And on top of that I and lots of other people can be more selective in terms of cutting it off for a few months when there’s nothing I want to watch which I’d never do whilst friends shared it.
I honestly think Netflix are over complicating things when it would be better to make it simple just make better programmes. Save money but cutting down in dross. Don’t bother with games. Just more squid games and money heist level programmes.
I share mine with two people that it makes me happy to let them use it. Neither will pay for it if they have to. So that means I’ll get less happiness out of Netflix. Plus I’ll drop from the premium to middle tier as I only need 1 connection and can accept hd. And on top of that I and lots of other people can be more selective in terms of cutting it off for a few months when there’s nothing I want to watch which I’d never do whilst friends shared it.
I honestly think Netflix are over complicating things when it would be better to make it simple just make better programmes. Save money but cutting down in dross. Don’t bother with games. Just more squid games and money heist level programmes.
Simultaneous streams is how you handle this, not this stupid policy. None of their business which router I am watching from
I feel we need to cover both sides of the coin...
O1H, Netflix did say this.
OTOH, times changed, and they're no longer doing it anymore :\ And yes, I'm going to inject the "omg! a corporation lied to me!" snark.
Too busy with other things to read NF's ToS, but does anybody know if their terms of service actually state if these simultaneous streams must be in the same household?
Exactly this ^^
They loved it, until it became too popular (to share passwords)
Ridiculous 180 -- they really never should have been encouraging it, but they loved the growth and attention.
My guess is it shouldn't be THAT bad. Their bean counters should be worth something. I'm guessing enough people should find value in NF to perhaps break even. It's not unlike how every time Apple does something egregious (e.g. CSAM, no headphone jack, no mag safe), people complain. And while there are some who leave the Apple ecosystem, it seems like they still have plenty of folks who are willing to pay that "Apple tax".
Netflix are digging their own grave with this, mark my words.
The rivals of theirs which won’t make paying customers’ lives miserable will immediately have a big commercial advantage over Netflix in the streaming market.
When (if?) soon as this is enacted in my country, they’ll never get another penny out of me. Roll on their commercial demise if they really are this arrogant about treating consumers like dirt.
The rivals of theirs which won’t make paying customers’ lives miserable will immediately have a big commercial advantage over Netflix in the streaming market.
When (if?) soon as this is enacted in my country, they’ll never get another penny out of me. Roll on their commercial demise if they really are this arrogant about treating consumers like dirt.
It was only in MY situation. I am in line with your rational for cancelling.
I would not pay $20 for premium for just me and my wife and kids to watch. Disney plus is
It will be a sad day, but Netflix is just not a good deal even though I do watch it A LOT. almost every night.
I just looked at pricing currently. And the standard plan at 720p (Good enough) is $10 a month. This isn’t terrible for how much I use it, but right now it’s $20/4 families. $5 is less than $10.
Is it worth another $5 a month for Netflix? Probably not
my kids watch Disney much more often and I can survive without Netflix.
There must be something going on in the boardrooms of Netflix though. They didn't have to enact these new policies... and yet here we are.
Netflix used to say "Love is sharing a password"... but now they are changing their tune.
So I dunno.
Yeah people complain about Apple all the time. But there are obviously enough reasons to choose Apple products instead of the Android/Windows alternatives.
Netflix better be careful though. There are plenty of alternatives to Netflix.
All this negative attention might get people thinking "Do I really watch Netflix enough to keep paying for it every month? Maybe I'll try HBO Max"
It's a helluva lot easier to change streaming services than switch from iPhone/Mac to Samsung/Dell.