Skip to content

Netflix’s crackdown on password-sharing extends to more countries

By Minjun Park
2 min read
In this article (5)

After announcing its plan to prevent its customers from sharing their accounts with friends and family, Netflix started to trial new changes to password sharing in several countries from Latin America, including Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic.

Earlier this week, Netflix announced that the changes to account sharing revealed last year will be rolled out in more countries. Detailed at the beginning of this month, these changes are now introduced in four countries before being rolled out globally in March.

Starting today, changes to account sharing are rolling out in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. If you live in any of these countries and share your account with one or more people, you’ll have to pay extra. But first, customers in these four countries will be asked to set their primary location, allowing them and anyone who lives in the household to use the Netflix account.

Next, Netflix customers who’d like to provide access to their account to someone else will be able to do so from the Manage Access and Devices page. Another important change involves the ability to transfer a profile to a new account, which is paid for, thus keeping personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, and saved games.

Don’t worry, even after setting your primary location, you will still be able to watch Netflix on your personal device or log into a new TV when you’re not at home.

The most important part of these changes is the option to buy an extra member. To continue to share your account with others, you will have to pay for each extra member who uses your account. Netflix customers subscribed to either Standard or Premium plan and live in one of the four countries mentioned can add an extra member sub account for up to two people they don’t live with.

Each sub account comes with a profile, personalized recommendations, login and password of their own. As far as the price goes, a sub account costs CAD$7.99 a month in Canada, NZD$7.99 in New Zealand, 3.99€ in Portugal, and 5.99€ in Spain.

Questions & Answers

Q.

Which countries are currently implementing Netflix's new password-sharing rules?

A.

Starting today, changes to account sharing are rolling out in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain. These four countries are the initial focus before a global rollout in March.

Q.

How will existing subscribers be affected if they share their Netflix account with someone outside their household?

A.

Customers in the specified countries will need to set a primary location. To continue sharing with others, they must pay for each extra member who uses their account, with a limit of up to two people for Standard or Premium plan subscribers.

Q.

What is the cost for adding an extra member to a Netflix account in the countries where changes are being introduced?

A.

An extra member sub account costs CAD$7.99 a month in Canada, NZD$7.99 in New Zealand, 3.99€ in Portugal, and 5.99€ in Spain.

Q.

What happens to a user's viewing history and recommendations if they transfer their profile to a new, paid account?

A.

The ability to transfer a profile to a new, paid account allows users to keep their personalised recommendations, viewing history, My List, and any saved games.

Reader pulse

Netflix's sharing crackdown:

23,140 votes so far

Weekly Briefing

Asia's retail intelligence, in your inbox

Tuesday, Thursday and a Saturday Weekly Wrap: the retail stories, numbers and moves that mattered across Asia. Nothing else, and you can unsubscribe in one click.

  • Top industry moves and market shifts
  • Weekly data-driven analysis from across Asia
  • Tuesday, Thursday and the Saturday Weekly Wrap

Read by retail operators, investors and brand teams across Asia.

Protected by a quick human check. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe in one click.

SecureGDPR ready