Netflix will soon charge for account sharing in a wider selection of countries, including the US. It has revealed in a financial report that paid sharing will be rolled out “more broadly” in the second quarter of the year - so anytime now.
Netflixfirst revealed its paid account sharing plan at the start of this year and has been running the scheme in Canada, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal. It asks users to pay an additional fee on top of a subscription to allow viewers outside the household to access the same account.
The scheme has been successful, claims the streaming service. Even though viewer numbers have shrunk in the trial areas as those watching for free decline to become paid members, revenue and growth has conversely risen.
What is Netflix paid sharing?
As well as offering a way for a family or friends to watch from multiple households for the same fee, Netflixalso implemented curbs on non-paid sharing. It uses IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to determine whether a viewer is watching from home, away or if a totally different household. It can then block those it suspects of unauthorised activity.
The charge for paid sharing is actually reasonable in the trial regions - an additional $2.99 per month in some Latin American countries - which is on top of a standard or premium tier (currently $15.49 and $19.99 respectively). It is likely to be there or thereabouts in other locations too.
“In Canada, which we believe is a reliable predictor for the US, our paid membership base is now larger than prior to the launch of paid sharing and revenue for growth has accelerated and is now growing faster than in the US,” the company states in its financial report.
It is thought the expanded rollout will arrive in the UK and other European countries soon.
Improved Netflix Basic with Ads picture quality
There’s not such great news for those still renting DVDs through Netflix - the physical media service is finally winding down later this year. The final DVDs will ship in the US on 30 July 2025.
In all honesty, we didn’t even know it was still a thing.
