According to a news release, the media streaming service will soon begin to charge users for anyone that attempts to use their account and does not live in the same house as them, with the new feature already being tested in certain regions.
Do you or someone you know own a Netflix account which you/they share with a number of other people? Well, prepare to say goodbye to your shared accounts, as the streaming service will soon be charging you extra for any person that attempts to sign in and isn’t under the same roof as you.
A press release that was posted on the company’s website on Wednesday pointed out that the misuse of accounts by people outside the household had an adverse effect on Netflix’s “ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.”
The new feature is already being tested in three South American countries, with Netflix users in Chile, Peru and Costa Rica receiving a notification to add a user to their account every time a person outside their household attempts to sign in.
In other Netflix-related news, the streaming service has also announced a new feature which will allow users to transfer their account information, like their viewing history or their recommendations, into a new account or a new user that has been added to their own account.
“We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans,” Netflix director of product innovation, Chengyi Long said via the press release.
“While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared.”
The implementation of these new features will come as no surprise to most Netflix users, as the company had already attempted to limit the use of shared accounts last year by introducing a new verification system in a number of countries that warned users that they needed to create their own account if they wanted to continue watching their favourite shows.
