'Love is sharing a password', not anymore: Netflix starts charging for account sharing in over 100 countries

Netflix posted back in 2017 that “love is sharing a password.” Not any more it seems like as the company has announced its expansion of efforts to crack down on password sharing, reaching not only the United States but also over 100 other countries. The popular streaming platform aims to address market saturation by finding new ways to generate revenue, which includes implementing limitations on password borrowing and introducing an ad-supported option.

On Tuesday, Netflix began sending emails to customers in 103 countries and territories, including major markets such as the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Mexico, and Brazil. The emails explicitly state that a Netflix account should only be utilised within a single household. 

However, paying customers have the option to add a member outside of their residence for an additional fee. In the United States, this fee amounts to $8 (Rs 660) per month.

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To ensure a seamless transition, members are also granted the ability to transfer a person's profile, allowing them to retain their viewing history and recommendations. These measures come as Netflix continues to test various approaches and policies to curb account sharing, a practice that has been estimated to involve over 100 million households worldwide. As of March, Netflix reported a global customer base of 232.5 million paying subscribers.

Coming to the Indian market, the company seems to have not enacted the password crackdown as of yet but can be expected anytime soon now.

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