Netflix: it's time to start paying

Anabel Costa-Ferreira, Editor-in-Chief, reviews the imminent crackdown on password sharing

THE mantra 'love is sharing a Netflix password’ will soon no longer be the case, as an imminent crackdown on password sharing will ensure that subscriptions are contained to one household. New changes to be introduced in both the US and UK will confirm that accounts are (as Netflix defines) only for ‘you and the people you live with’, by which they mean users must live at the same address. Though it is important to note that it has been assured these changes will not impact a user's ability to download and watch offline, or even to stream abroad once connected to Wi-Fi.

However, for those who travel frequently, it may be likely that Netflix will incorrectly identify accounts as being used outside their household. In order to identify these accounts, Netflix will be able to check both IP address es and device IDs. Using these, they will be able to identify an account's primary user and subsequently notice any irregular account activity. While the ethics surrounding password sharing works both ways, ac cording to an article from

The Independent , Netflix’s crackdown will look more at the fault of the borrower as opposed to the lender. And, if an account is found to be sharing a password and breaking this rule, they will be either kicked out of their account or possibly directed on how to purchase their own or added account instead. At the time of writing, family accounts enable a user to buy an extra member for a cost of around £4.99 a month, with similar pricing across Europe e.g., €3.99 in Portugal and €5.99 in Spain. When looking at their website, users are assured that when creating this new account, they will be able to transfer their current profiles, meaning they can keep both their watch history and their recom mended viewing. Looking more longterm at the situation, it seems impossible to not consider the risk Netflix are taking that subscribers won’t delete or end subscriptions as a result of frustration or finance.

Perhaps even more of a risk today when Netflix (despite likely be ing the most known) is one of a collective of streaming services, that is matched closely by several other competitors. Though these changes will subsequently impact millions of current users, a large group affected by this will be students. As most students who move out for univer sity continue to use a family account, for both practicality and money. While we currently await any proposal to address this specific situation, users can create an account for an upward cost of £4.99 a month. Interestingly, there are no current options to create a student account or exclusive offers for those in education. Therefore, this is perhaps something for Netflix to consider at a later date. As while many may feel inclined to purchase a new account due to the changes, many students will be unable to keep up with the costs and may simply drop Netflix altogether. From their tweet five years ago to now, Netflix have truly changed their outlook, as articles from The Guardian back in January note that the company was predicted to ‘lose a further 200,000’ subscribers. In a bid to gain subscribers, could forcing users to buy new accounts backfire? While Netflix have an estimated 232 million subscribers globally, it is thought that around ‘100 million households had supplied login credentials to friends and family outside their homes.’ These shocking statistics lead us to question where the future of Netflix stands, as the company can only hope these new rules result in a drastic rise of subscribers as opposed to a rapid loss.