Netflix has announced two new measures to punish users who share passwords between people who do not live in the same household.
In a new blog post explained Chengyi Long, Netflix's director of product innovation, said the new mechanisms are a response to "confusion about when and how to share Netflix." The most interesting anti-password sharing measure is the "Add an Extra Member" feature, which allows users of standard and premium plans to add sub-accounts for up to two people they don't live with. While the extra members are available at a "discounted price," they are still an additional cost on top of subscription prices, which Netflix recently raised to new highs. In the coming months, Netflix will test the new "Add an Extra Member" mechanism in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. The extra members will cost 2,380 CLP in Chile, 2.99 $ in Costa Rica, and 7.9 PEN in Peru.
Account sharing: Netflix wants more money
Netflix is also adding a new feature that makes it easier to kick other people off your account. It's called "Transfer Profile to New Account," and it allows people who share their passwords to transfer profile information—such as viewing history and personalized recommendations—to either an extra member account or an entirely new subscription.
We know people have a lot of choice when it comes to entertainment, so we want to make sure any new features are flexible and useful for our members, whose subscriptions fund all of our great TV and film offerings. We're working to understand the value of these two features for members in these three countries before we make any changes in other countries.
It is currently not known when the changes will be made in other markets, including here. (Photo by askarim / Bigstockphoto)
