Netflix is one of the top streaming services and a daily guest in many households.
However, the service is far from being paid for everywhere.
The provider now wants to exclude bargain hunters.
In many families, streaming services have long since replaced conventional television programs via cable or satellite.
It is simply practical to put together the program according to your own wishes.
A big player is Netflix for its series, films and Co. between 7.99 and 17.99 euros per month.
An amount that isn't huge, but many people share a Netflix account to save money.
For a long time, the streaming service turned a blind eye and let the bargain hunters do it.
Now Netflix seems to be losing too much money and the provider wants to pull the ripcord.
Netflix has announced that it
will soon end account sharing
: Sharing Netflix accounts will then be subject to a fee, reports Reuters.
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Netflix sharing may soon be a thing of the past.
© Andre M. Chang/Imago
Netflix loses subscribers and wants to save itself with a fee
Netflix customers sharing their login details with others is a common phenomenon.
According to the company, 100 million households
watch the offer as so-called free riders.
As the company grew and the number of users rose, they were lenient, explains CEO Reed Hastings.
But now Netflix no longer wants to look the other way in the face of competitive pressure and
falling subscription numbers
.
According to product boss Greg Peters, you don't want to prevent sharing your Netflix account with your sister, who lives in another place.
"But we will ask them to pay a little more for it." The IP address of the user should then be used to determine where the account is accessed from.
When is the Netflix shared account fee coming?
Netflix has been working on the free rider problem for two years and conducting tests.
Since March, the company has been charging an additional fee for account sharing
in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru
.
According to Reuters, Netflix is now planning to launch the new subscription model worldwide within a year.
For those who are now considering how to cancel their Netflix subscription or how to avoid paying the higher fee, another Hastings plan may make them sit up and take notice.
He
suggested introducing a cheaper streaming subscription with advertising clips in between
, as reported by Manager Magazin.
So the development remains exciting.
While you're waiting, why not watch these new shows and movies on Netflix in April.
(ante)
Rubric list image: © Andre M. Chang/Imago
