Netflix bans sharing option – so you can keep sharing your subscription

Well do Netflix Nails with heads. Netflix originally wanted to stop so-called account sharing at the end of March 2023. For technical reasons, the end has now been postponed to the end of May. In just a few days, some Netflix accounts could stop working.

The streaming giant has already informed its customers about the change in the app. If you share your account with other households, you have to pay for it. For a person who does not live under the same roof as the paying account holder, 4.99 euros per month should be due. Netflix expects more revenue from this.

Who is affected by the measure?

The US company assumes that around 100 million households use the service with external access data. Measured by the 232.5 million paying customers in the last quarter this is a high percentage.

For example, children often continue to use their parents’ accounts when they move out – or friends share access to save money. In these cases, subscription sharing no longer works – or the co-users have to pay.

Netflix had long tolerated the sharing of access data. In the meantime, however, there has generally been an increased focus on profitability in the video streaming business after the many providers had been hunting for higher user numbers for years. However, none of the competitors is taking action against the sharing of accounts as consistently as Netflix is ​​now.

Netflix expects that the number of users could initially decrease with the change. In You have For example, the numbers fell sharply, but the service is now reaching more paying users and higher income than before.

How to keep sharing your Netflix account for free

Sharing is only possible with Netflix for an additional charge. However, not in all tariffs. Extra members” must also log in from Germany the first time they register. Only then will sharing work smoothly. If one of the two accounts is abroad when registering, an error message will appear.

Membership is paid for by the person who invited the additional member to share.

With the premium account, which costs EUR 17.99 per month, up to two “extra members” (EUR 4.99 each) can be added. The three households then have to pay EUR 27.97 a month. If the costs are shared privately, the proportionate costs are 9.33 euros each.

In the standard account, which costs EUR 12.99 per month, only one additional slot (for EUR 4.99 each) is provided. The costs then amount to 17.98 euros per month. If two households share the costs privately, it is 8.99 euros for each.

With the basic account for 7.99 euros, it is not possible to add further members. Even with the advertising version for 4.99 euros, it is not possible to share the account.

Netflix promises that “extra members” can use the account in the “Premium” and “Standard” tariffs if one of the accounts is on vacation in another European country.

What services do additional members get for EUR 4.99?

The offer differs in detail. Additional members can continue to watch Netflix while traveling or on vacation. However, only on one device. The quality also remains unchanged.

There are differences in the profiles and when watching TV at the same time. “Additional members can play Netflix on any device through their account, but only on one device at a time,” Netflix said. In addition, additional members can download titles, but only play them on one smartphone or tablet. Extra members can also only have one profile and cannot create any other profiles. So if additional members want to create an adult and a child profile, they need their own Netflix access.

Will other streaming providers follow?

As a pioneer, Netflix was initially able to establish itself almost unhindered in the video streaming market. But now the competition is growing – including from Disney, Amazon, Apple and Warner’s HBO Max. Just a few years ago, founder and co-head Reed Hastings, with a touch of arrogance, named the online game “Fortnite” as his closest competitor, today he concedes that the competition “has released some very good films and series”. .

The changes at Netflix are eagerly awaited by the competition. There is already speculation that other providers could also take action against the sharing of subscriptions.

Bei Disney+, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video up to four people – from different households – can watch series and films. With RTL+, Joyn and Sky, subscription sharing is not desired, but depending on the tariff, several profiles can optionally stream the film, series and sports offer at the same time.