Yes, but you also don't have the freedom to deny historical events or raise your arm a certain way.
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Netflix to Begin Cracking Down on Password Sharing in Early 2023
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Yes, but you also don't have the freedom to deny historical events or raise your arm a certain way.
I'm not a Netflix algorithmic audience preference guru, but generally speaking when a company wants more profit, and the solution is to take something away from existing users that they used and took for granted, I can't think of any good examples of it ending well.
I can accept maybe this will end up a net plus for them overall, but with the increasing amount of competition among streaming services, Netflix doesn't have the more-or-less captive audience they once did.
(They also seem to have a lot less high quality shows than they used to; maybe it's just what the algorithm suggests to my family, but the unique content seems to mostly be a morass of cheap true crime and reality shows with the occasional bit of genuine quality sprinkled in. If I wasn't getting it as a freebie with my cell plan, I wouldn't have a subscription at all.)
I can accept maybe this will end up a net plus for them overall, but with the increasing amount of competition among streaming services, Netflix doesn't have the more-or-less captive audience they once did.
(They also seem to have a lot less high quality shows than they used to; maybe it's just what the algorithm suggests to my family, but the unique content seems to mostly be a morass of cheap true crime and reality shows with the occasional bit of genuine quality sprinkled in. If I wasn't getting it as a freebie with my cell plan, I wouldn't have a subscription at all.)
I started canceling all of my subscriptions. It really adds up. I’m putting that extra cash in an IRA
Oh well.
Popular streaming service Netflix is planning to put an end to password sharing starting in early 2023, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. There have been persistent rumors about the end of password sharing, and Netflix has been exploring methods to crack down on it, but the changes are set to officially go into effect next year.
Netflix has long known that password sharing is a problem affecting its profits, but the uptick in subscriptions in 2020 allowed the company to avoid addressing it. With revenue falling this year and Netflix's first subscriber loss in 10 years, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings decided it was time to act on the issue, which had been put off for too long.
Starting in 2023, Netflix plans to ask people who share accounts with others outside of their household to pay to do so. Netflix has been testing add-on payments for password sharing in some Latin American countries, charging around $3 extra. In these countries, the primary account owner must provide a verification code to anyone outside the household who wants to access the account, with Netflix repeatedly asking for the code until a monthly fee is paid to add non-household subscribers.
A similar tactic could be used in the United States, with Netflix possibly charging just below the cost of its $6.99 ad-supported plan for non-household subscribers who share someone's plan. Netflix wants those who have a shared password to sign up for their own subscription.
Netflix will enforce password sharing rules through IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity. To keep from alienating customers, Netflix may slowly phase out password sharing rather than putting a stop to it all at once. One method Netflix reportedly considered was adding pay-per-view content that could make users not want to share their passwords with people who might rent content, but Netflix ultimately decided against it.
The Netflix terms of service have never allowed for multi-household sharing, but Netflix has looked the other way for so long that implementing fees for offering account access to friends and family could upset some of its subscribers. An estimated 222 million paying households share passwords with an additional 100 million households that Netflix wants to monetize.
Pricing on Netflix plans includes watching on multiple supported devices in addition to affecting streaming quality, but Netflix does not want multiple viewers watching outside of the same household. Netflix's premium plan, for example, allows for Ultra HD 4K streaming and support for watching on four supported devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs at one time, as long as those devices are owned by people in the same household.
In addition to boosting revenue by eliminating password sharing, Netflix has also introduced a more affordable ad-supported tier that is priced at $6.99 per month in the United States.
Article Link: Netflix to Begin Cracking Down on Password Sharing in Early 2023
Johnny Depp is an abusive, alcoholic, drug addicted woman beater.
He knows this, his lawyers know this and he would have lost Amber’s appeal which is why he was forced to settle for a measly 1M and agree to the fact that Amber can freely talk about her side of things.
So prepare for a lot of documentaries and interviews in which his crooked ways will be exposed.
Some people subscribe to Netflix only because they are able to share the cost with their friends. For example, if I want the 4k option, I have to pay for their most expensive tier, but I am often the only one in the household who actually uses the service (and even when my mom uses it to watch some of her Korean dramas, she just uses my account).
I have never shared my account with anyone else, but I imagine that $22 a month for one person may be too expensive for some. If they were able to share with at least 1 other person, this brings the cost down to $5-10. Much more palatable.
In this scenario, Netflix at least gets $20. If they cut down on sharing, and if the 4 people decide that they are each not going to pay $20 just to maintain said account, Netflix actually ends up losing $20 overall. Bearing in mind that producing their content is a fixed cost that's independent of the number of subscribers, and I suspect bandwidth costs are pretty minimal overall.
Netflix is clearly banking on a net increase in subscriber revenue offsetting the subscriber losses. You win some, you lose some, let's see how it works out.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that are ok with stealing as long as it is called sharing or if the target is "the corporations man".
Makes me wonder what you all do for a living... would you all be ok with people "sharing" the fruits of your labor just because they think you charge too much?
From Netflix: "Only people who live with you may use your account. Watch on 4 different devices at the same time with Premium, 2 with Standard and 1 with Basic or Basic with ads."
I have the Standard plan and if I'm allowed to share one screen with a different person, what does it matter if that person is living under the same roof or somewhere else?! hmm.
I have the Standard plan and if I'm allowed to share one screen with a different person, what does it matter if that person is living under the same roof or somewhere else?! hmm.
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If it happens, there’s greener grass out there
This posts reminds me of the “You wouldn’t download a car.” commercials from back in the day.
Yes, I would. I would download a car if I could.
I don’t understand how people don’t recognize that theft is theft. If I buy a membership at a gym would it be “sharing“ to open a side door and let my non-paying friend in every day? Of course not. It‘s clearly theft of a service which is priced based on paying subscribers.
They are losing a lot of money by people stealing the service they provide. That is what this is. Stealing.
The IP address thing is interesting for people like me. I don't have Netflix any longer, but I'm certain that some folks are like me -- I don't watch at home, but watch when I'm traveling in hotel rooms. I'm in hotel rooms all over the world and quite frequently. I wonder how they'll address that...
sharing is not theft. however, in the case you've described, a non-paying person would be taking space away from paying members, so it is not an equivalent situation.
am i stealing if i borrow my neighbor's lawnmower? i'm definitely hurting the lawnmower company's profits by not purchasing my own!
Im curious to see how this works. My scenario for my account is this
1) I have 2 internet connections, one for business and a personal one. Netflix is used on both depending which floor its watched on
2) My wife travels to teach in another country for 5 months of the year and uses netflix
3) We use cell phones off of wifi sometimes to stream, these will have another IP address
I wonder how this will be treated by netflix as its being used in the same household but its going to show up from various IP addresses
1) I have 2 internet connections, one for business and a personal one. Netflix is used on both depending which floor its watched on
2) My wife travels to teach in another country for 5 months of the year and uses netflix
3) We use cell phones off of wifi sometimes to stream, these will have another IP address
I wonder how this will be treated by netflix as its being used in the same household but its going to show up from various IP addresses
Additionally, a gym membership is for one person; a Netflix subscription can be for multiple people, just as long as they all live at the same address.
It would be more like a gym membership that is for up to 5 people but the people have to live with you and you bring in someone who lives down the street from you. Makes the metaphor a little messier.
No, your neighbor owns his lawnmower and may do with it as he pleases. He could even rent it to you.
As a Netflix subscriber you don't own anything. Your Netflix account equates to renting the opportunity to watch content. It comes with terms of service. If you don't agree with the cost or the terms simply don't subscribe.
What is a Netflix Household?
A Netflix account is meant to be shared with people who live in the same location with the account owner.
help.netflix.com
What about families. We have had a Netflix account since 2013, and my Parents moved to a different location. It's basically our family on it, but now Netflix is going to penalize us because the parents decided to move? I'm also seeing things in this thread about how now I'm stealing even though the parents bought the subscription for the entire family but because of circumstances, I'm now stealing the account? Do I need to write a letter to netflix saying that I'm still part of the family and I paid for a subscription to, say, Disney+ which I'm sharing with them? How is this going to work for families who have had Netflix for at least a decade?
Doesn't affect me, I stopped paying for it 5 years ago.
I am a teacher, so yes, our whole community is predicated on the sharing of knowledge and resources for free. For example, if I create teaching resources for my class, I often share them with my other colleagues. The caveat clearly, is that I have zero intention of monetising my teaching material (most wouldn't be fit for print at any rate), and it doesn't cost me anything to do so.
It's also worth noting that it wasn't so long ago that Netflix was encouraging users to share accounts with one another. So what's happening here is that Netflix was perfectly okay to encourage a particular sort of behaviour when it fit their business strategy (growth at all cost), and they have no qualms about doing a complete 180 and demonising the exact same behaviour when said behaviour no longer holds any benefit for them (growth has stagnated, so the only way to grow revenue is by getting existing users to pay more per head).
I recognise that Netflix is a private company and free to do whatever it wants, but just because they did an about-turn with their policy doesn't turn people into crooks overnight. I have never shared my account with anybody (mostly because the conversation simply never came up), but I have no issues with other people doing so.
I have actually cancelled my Netflix subscription because I don't feel it is worth my money to pay $22 a month for filler content that I barely watch. I would very much like a single-user option (eg: 4k, 1 user, $10-12 a month) but Netflix is clearly trying to bank on 4k content to get people to pay more than they otherwise would. In this case, Netflix is not crucial enough to my lifestyle that I am comfortable giving it up, and given it up I have.
This is getting ridiculous now. 20 dollars to get basic 4K features is the reason people share their accounts. Adding more fees on top of that just makes it even more ridiculous. The shows and how they cancel the good ones don’t justify the cost. I feel like the are going to just keep losing more subscribers.
They're gonna be so surprised how many people only pay for Netflix out of inertia and because their buddy uses it too.
Charging for 4K is ridiculous when HD is just fine for movie night. So much has become so expensive that I’ve been shopping just for 1080P movies in the cutout bins at Best Buy and Walmart. Better yet if they have that universal code I can register. But really, 1080P is just fine on my 52”. Watching Wonder Woman in 4K just isn’t necessary, as beautiful as Gal Gadot is.
This is apt. They are acting with all the arrogance that Blockbuster used to have.