Netflix' plan backfires, users start cancelling subscriptions after password-sharing crackdown

The move of Netflix to roll out its password-sharing ban seemed to have backfired as online searches for “cancel Netflix account” skyrocketed by 2,939 per cent in the UK.

The new rules were brought to 103 countries including the US and UK this week. People who were watching Netflix under someone else’s account now have to create and pay for their own logins. This comes after the streaming giant’s crackdown on password sharing came into effect recently.

Besides, those who still want to share an account with people other than their own house will have to sign up for ‘paid sharing’ at a cost of £4.99/month ($8/month in the US).

The streaming giant’s decision invited anger among the existing users. The users took to Twitter and other social media platforms to vent their anger. Many said that they will unsubscribe from Netflix accounts but won’t adhere to its new policy.

The streaming service said it began alerting members on Tuesday about its new sharing policy, saying that the accounts are only to be shared within a single household.

“Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with — your household,” the company said in an email, which it posted to its blog on Tuesday.

“Members can transfer a profile of someone outside of their household so the person can begin a new membership they pay for on their own. Or they can pay an extra fee – $7.99 a month – per person outside of their household using their account,” CNBC quoted the email as saying.

The streamer has said that more than 100 million households share accounts, which is about 43% of its global user base. Netflix said this has affected its ability to invest in new content.

Netflix had outlined password-sharing guidance in four other countries earlier this year such as New Zealand, Canada, Portugal and Spain. The streamer said it would ask members in those countries to set a “primary location” for their accounts, and allow users to establish two sub-accounts for those who don’t live in their home base for extra fees.

With inputs from agencies

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