Netflix To Test Having Subscribers Pay Extra To Share Password

Netflix is launching a test that will prompt subscribers to pay for people using their password outside of their household.

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By now, we’ve all used a Netflix account that isn’t ours. Sometimes, we might not even know who’s account we are on. Netflix has known about this for quite some time, but now, it looks like they’re cracking down on things.

Netflix has slowly raised the prices on its service time over time, but an outright attack on password sharing is new. According to Variety, the streaming service is launching a test in select countries to crack down on password sharing. The test will prompt primary account holders to pay an additional fee to add other users outside of their own homes. Chengyi Long, director of product innovation at Netflix, says this will make sharing accounts “more secure” while paying “a bit more.”

“We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans,” Long wrote. “While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households — impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.”

Netflix is out to get every dollar they can in the age of password sharing, and while the idea hasn’t received a warm welcome, it could work. If it doesn’t, Netflix may have to circle back with a new test.