Netflix crackdown on password sharing could be coming sooner than you think

The streaming giant announced the news that countless freeloaders have been dreading in a letter to shareholders this week, following the release of its company earnings report last week.

According to the company, ‘widespread account sharing’ has exceeded over 100 million viewers and the crackdown comes after the service announced back-to-back subscriber losses last year.

In the first quarter of 2022, the company’s customer base fell by 200,000 subscribers.

However, there is a way for those who have been enjoying shows like The Crown, Squid Game and Bridgerton to continue doing so by transferring their profiles to a new paid account with all of their viewing preferences.

"While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognise this is a change for members who share their account more broadly,” Netflix said in the letter.

“As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with. As is the case today, all members will be able to watch while travelling, whether on a TV or mobile device.”

Netflix acknowledged that the change could lead to some people cancelling their accounts altogether when the crackdown possibly comes into force by the end of March 2023.

“As we work through this transition – and as some borrowers stop watching either because they don’t convert to extra members or full paying accounts – near term engagement, as measured by third parties, like Nielsen’s The Gauge, could be negatively impacted.”

LADbible has contacted Netflix for comment.

“We believe the pattern will be similar to what we've seen in Latin America, with engagement growing over time as we continue to deliver a great slate of programming and borrowers sign up for their own accounts,” the statement continued.

Password sharing has been a bee in Netflix's bonnet for quite some time now.

The streaming service identified password sharing as a major issue back in 2019 but didn't know how to tackle it without putting people off, according to The Wall Street Journal.

After all, their aim in cracking down on people sharing around passwords is to get more subscribers signed onto their platform, not to drive away those already forking over a few quid each month.