Sharing Your Netflix Account(help.netflix.com)
help.netflix.com
Sharing Your Netflix Account
https://help.netflix.com/en/node/123277
266 comments
I'm not you so I don't know your situation but the thought of having to manually download and share media whenever my mom calls me up sounds miserable. I'd rather just pay for her subscription.
My system is 100% automated. Sonarr + Radarr + Prowlarr + Deluge + SABnzdb FTW.
I stuck to using torrents for years but about 6 months ago I switched to Usenet and the $10 p/m for the Usenet provider and $30/year for an indexer is definitely worth the money. Now instead of having hundreds of seedless torrents in my queue, my system downloads even the most obscure media at a speed that completely saturates my connection.
I stuck to using torrents for years but about 6 months ago I switched to Usenet and the $10 p/m for the Usenet provider and $30/year for an indexer is definitely worth the money. Now instead of having hundreds of seedless torrents in my queue, my system downloads even the most obscure media at a speed that completely saturates my connection.
Which Usenet provider are you using? I used Giganews back in the day and I see they are still operational. Thanks.
What indexer(s) do you use?
Manually? There's out of the box ways to automate essentially everything including new requests
There's a lot of things I'd want to address beyond the tech: I'd want the videos to have good subtitles, to actually be what was requested and not have surprise porn or whatever, for examples. I don't think these are things I could automate. Netflix is likely to include subtitles and will never return video that wasn't requested. I dunno, it's work the few bucks a month.
Streaming services including Netflix regularly omit subtitles for non-english dialogue, I've found. For a significant number of movies this this can make them unwatchable.
This is easily automated using Ombi and the other tools folks have mentioned in other comments.
I'm in a similar situation with my mother-in-law. I'd happily pay a bit more each month to support her Netflix account. If they block her, we may just cancel the subscription completely.
Same. I share a netflix account with my parents.
Thankfully I've already introduced them to Emby (similar to plex/jellyfin), and they are already familiar with the app that I installed on their Android tv box. They've been using it more than Netflix over the past few months, as the current show they are watching
Cancelling Netflix will be a very small disruption for us.
Thankfully I've already introduced them to Emby (similar to plex/jellyfin), and they are already familiar with the app that I installed on their Android tv box. They've been using it more than Netflix over the past few months, as the current show they are watching
Cancelling Netflix will be a very small disruption for us.
Your logic seems to conclude that you keep paying for Netflix, but that your mom will be the only one to use it.
The difference is that there's no reason to keep the expensive 4k account.
The Premium plan is 4k streaming, and up to 4 devices. But now they want to keep those two features bundled, while limiting your ability to stream to 4 devices (because now they'll all need to be in the same house). Sharing my account was my reason to suck that up and pay 20 bucks a month for 4k streaming.
Now only I can watch it, or in OP comment's case only his mom can watch it, so there's no reason to not just switch to the basic plan with 720p for 10 bucks a month. Point is, there will be cancellations, but also a ton of people halving their subscription cost. It's going to hurt Netflix on both ends.
The Premium plan is 4k streaming, and up to 4 devices. But now they want to keep those two features bundled, while limiting your ability to stream to 4 devices (because now they'll all need to be in the same house). Sharing my account was my reason to suck that up and pay 20 bucks a month for 4k streaming.
Now only I can watch it, or in OP comment's case only his mom can watch it, so there's no reason to not just switch to the basic plan with 720p for 10 bucks a month. Point is, there will be cancellations, but also a ton of people halving their subscription cost. It's going to hurt Netflix on both ends.
It will just be cancellations. No one is going to 720p. Not sure how you could think that.
There are more than just cancellations and downgrades to consider. Netflix will make money from people who pay for their own accounts and from their new revenue stream of ads. There's also a very noticeable image quality difference between 4k and 720p, so there's no reason to assume the basic plan is what everyone will downgrade to like yourself.
Yes, that is the last paying option left. Obviously, that's not appealing though, so I'm more likely to seek out alternatives.
I think the subtext is: you don't have a problem. You have a single-household Netflix account. You're the kind of account Netflix likes.
I'm not sure I agree. If the choices are:
I can keep my account and downgrade my plan and then pay for a separate account for my Mom, then they would make about the same or even less money. They certainly won't be getting any ad revenue from either account.
I can cancel my account outright and get my content through alternative methods where Netflix is not compensated.
It seems to me the choice is obvious here and the calculus doesn't swing in Netflix's favor. Perhaps for the majority of the subscriber population it will, but that's a bit of a gamble when my generation and really every other generation after grew up knowing how to pirate whatever they wanted.
I can keep my account and downgrade my plan and then pay for a separate account for my Mom, then they would make about the same or even less money. They certainly won't be getting any ad revenue from either account.
I can cancel my account outright and get my content through alternative methods where Netflix is not compensated.
It seems to me the choice is obvious here and the calculus doesn't swing in Netflix's favor. Perhaps for the majority of the subscriber population it will, but that's a bit of a gamble when my generation and really every other generation after grew up knowing how to pirate whatever they wanted.
If your mom is the only user, what is the difference to you?
She's not the _only_ user, it's just that my "households" usage doesn't justify the expense and effort.
And the other subtext is: paying for an account that's usable only in the other single-household is unattractive enough to seek alternatives instead of keeping the subscription.
Same situation here. I think I'll just cancel, put the subscription money I save into a fund to maintain and upgrade my home server.
I'm angry about their offering. I'm fine with Netflix for me only, but I want the full quality.
If they force me to either pay for an entire family without being able to share it with my mom or to stream the content in subpar quality I will probably just go elsewhere.
If they force me to either pay for an entire family without being able to share it with my mom or to stream the content in subpar quality I will probably just go elsewhere.
My divorced buddy shares his account with his son, who lives in the next city over with his ex-wife. Cracking down on them will result in one less subscriber, not more money.
So your thesis is that piracy is cheaper. Ok thanks.
"Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem." - Gabe Newell, 10+ years ago
Once upon a time, Netflix itself was considered the case in point! Then video streaming splintered into a dozen services and now Netflix has decided to make things even more complicated. People don't learn, I guess.
Once upon a time, Netflix itself was considered the case in point! Then video streaming splintered into a dozen services and now Netflix has decided to make things even more complicated. People don't learn, I guess.
The problem for Netflix is that they can't really negotiate rates. Netflix as a business makes sense only when most of what one wants is available. At this point, all they can do is increase rates, lose subs and make as much money on the decline as possible.
I think that's a bit unfair. Businesses go through business cycles. I never worked there, nor have insight (obviously) but you know the business climate changes, your competitors change and you have to adjust or experience consequences. Sometimes you need to grow subscriptions, sometimes you need to grow revenue, sometimes you have more flexibility, and sometimes less (Netflix has to re-enter agreements with content owners and creators and those can change and they have to adjust and also business changes). However, it seems people only envision greedy accountants and Executives rubbing hands at the prospect.
Sure, here's a typical business cycle these days:
> First, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die.
"Tiktok's enshittification", by Cory Doctorow
https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys
> First, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die.
"Tiktok's enshittification", by Cory Doctorow
https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys
Once you go public you have no option other than to just grow at all costs. The cost of Netflix pushing growth is turning consumer sentiment against them by cracking down on account sharing and pushing ads into the service. Netflix had a gross profit of $12.44B in 2022. Why not preserve the large, successful business that consumers have a high opinion of instead of push for further profits?
The truth is that Netflix could continue profiting billions per year more or less indefinitely without risking the company by shifting focus from growth, and the only people who would be upset about it would be shareholders. And the only reason they'd be upset is because of greed. They could stop trying to grow and be a strong dividend company overnight.
The truth is that Netflix could continue profiting billions per year more or less indefinitely without risking the company by shifting focus from growth, and the only people who would be upset about it would be shareholders. And the only reason they'd be upset is because of greed. They could stop trying to grow and be a strong dividend company overnight.
It's not that simple. Their "greed" affords "those" investors the ability to invest those earnings in other up and comers --some of which may fail and some of which may succeed. If everyone was just happy with going an even course, at scale, the economy would stagnate.
The stagnated economy means lots of popular services that consistently pull in large profits, and are well like by consumers, and which are careful not to screw over their users at every opportunity I'd be just fine with that.
> Once you go public you have no option other than to just grow at all costs.
Nothing grows forever, so in fact this "grow at all costs" mentality forces many otherwise healthy companies that could maintain a nice break-even with some dividend to pay into doing stupid short-term thinking and desperate financial engineering and then in time collapse and go into bankruptcy.
Nothing grows forever, so in fact this "grow at all costs" mentality forces many otherwise healthy companies that could maintain a nice break-even with some dividend to pay into doing stupid short-term thinking and desperate financial engineering and then in time collapse and go into bankruptcy.
> "Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem." - Gabe Newell, 10+ years ago
Yet nearly everyone complaining here today about Netflix is complaining about the price.
Yet nearly everyone complaining here today about Netflix is complaining about the price.
The additional context needed is how fragmented the content library has become. Netflix has so much less popular content compared to 10 years ago.
Still just complaining about price. It is trivial to search the content you want to watch, and pay for it.
A couple extra taps is not sufficient friction to claim that “service” is the problem.
A couple extra taps is not sufficient friction to claim that “service” is the problem.
It's significantly more than "a couple extra taps".
There's mental overhead from having multiple services, as well as the price.
At some point you just decide it's not worth the hassle.
There's mental overhead from having multiple services, as well as the price.
At some point you just decide it's not worth the hassle.
Sure, but 20 years ago, you had to go to a physical store, rent or buy physical media, put it into a physical device, and then play it.
Or call up a cable or satellite TV company and had to have equipment installed and pay equipment rental fees, and watch whatever was on without any control.
It is, objectively, pretty easy and convenient to watch what you want, when you want (assuming you are in the right jurisdiction). The only question remains is, are you willing to pay the amount the seller asks?
Or call up a cable or satellite TV company and had to have equipment installed and pay equipment rental fees, and watch whatever was on without any control.
It is, objectively, pretty easy and convenient to watch what you want, when you want (assuming you are in the right jurisdiction). The only question remains is, are you willing to pay the amount the seller asks?
>It is, objectively, pretty easy and convenient to watch what you want, when you want
Sure, between Netflix, HBO, Disney, Paramount, etc, etc, etc... all with their own "exclusives".
So to watch what you want, when you want, you would need to pay multiple monthly fees and deal with the aforementioned mental overhead of multiple subscriptions to manage.
At least in the old video store days, one only had to go to a single video store.
Now they're even differentiating by the quality of the stream. That's more consumer-hostile arbitrary garbage that the video store never had. Who in their right mind would pay for blurry SD streaming nowadays, when even phones are 4k? But of course there's no single HD stream plan available.
Piracy is unfortunately relatively easier and more convenient, and that's a failure of the entertainment industry. Not to mention the terrible quality of the average show... and the fact that shows that you've "purchased" go missing from streaming sites randomly... and now they're putting ads in there. The downward spiral is now.
Sure, between Netflix, HBO, Disney, Paramount, etc, etc, etc... all with their own "exclusives".
So to watch what you want, when you want, you would need to pay multiple monthly fees and deal with the aforementioned mental overhead of multiple subscriptions to manage.
At least in the old video store days, one only had to go to a single video store.
Now they're even differentiating by the quality of the stream. That's more consumer-hostile arbitrary garbage that the video store never had. Who in their right mind would pay for blurry SD streaming nowadays, when even phones are 4k? But of course there's no single HD stream plan available.
Piracy is unfortunately relatively easier and more convenient, and that's a failure of the entertainment industry. Not to mention the terrible quality of the average show... and the fact that shows that you've "purchased" go missing from streaming sites randomly... and now they're putting ads in there. The downward spiral is now.
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Not really, although they've been raising their prices like crazy while offering less and less while increasing the number of ads (even for ad free plans). They are degrading their service. I'm paying for access to netflix on a certain number of screens. It makes zero difference where those screens are located. I'm not located in the same place myself, but now I'm expected to be constantly inconvenienced with "verification" nags.
The price of the service isn't the problem, which is why everyone I know has a netflix account (we'll see how long that stays true) it's the cost of what they're turning the service into while charging more and more that's the problem.
The price of the service isn't the problem, which is why everyone I know has a netflix account (we'll see how long that stays true) it's the cost of what they're turning the service into while charging more and more that's the problem.
I wouldn't mind the price if the billions they pour into producing and buying content led to something I actually want to watch. Anything. If it's there, their algorithm failed to surface it in favor of showing the same 20 things I wasn't interested in the last 100 times I opened the app.
The anti-artists love to suggest that this is true, but all payment includes some kind of speed bump. Are shoplifters not thieves, but merely protesters against the drag of waiting for a checkout lane? Are rapists just men who are experiencing a "service problem" from women? Pretty much every crime can be rationalized with this pro-privacy cant.
If you want artists in this world, you must support them. If you don't, be honest and don't complain about service.
If you want artists in this world, you must support them. If you don't, be honest and don't complain about service.
I have subscribed to eight different streaming services for movies, music, audiobooks and books, and I have a large game library in Steam and Epic. I still prefer to use pirated copies of the same things that I can access legitimately through these subscriptions; they just provide a vastly superior experience.
Games are much better in pirate releases where you are not riddled with bullshit launchers and online "services". Music, Audiobooks and Movie rips shared on the high seas are of much superior quality and high-efficiency encodings than those provided by Netflix and Spotify. And don't even get me started on Book DRMs. Not to mention the things you paid for can be taken away without consequence at any time in these services. So keep your "anti-artist" rhetoric to yourself, most of those scared of piracy are often just scared of losing out on their cheap income in fears that more people will realise the actual quality of the "art" before buying than they would have.
Games are much better in pirate releases where you are not riddled with bullshit launchers and online "services". Music, Audiobooks and Movie rips shared on the high seas are of much superior quality and high-efficiency encodings than those provided by Netflix and Spotify. And don't even get me started on Book DRMs. Not to mention the things you paid for can be taken away without consequence at any time in these services. So keep your "anti-artist" rhetoric to yourself, most of those scared of piracy are often just scared of losing out on their cheap income in fears that more people will realise the actual quality of the "art" before buying than they would have.
Leaving aside your ridiculous comparison between rape and filesharing, artists existed long before netflix and other subscription services.
A lot of art was created without financial incentive.
In fact, financial incentive ruins art in a lot of ways.
A lot of art was created without financial incentive.
In fact, financial incentive ruins art in a lot of ways.
Their thesis is that he isnt using more concurrent streams that he is paying for and if the company wants to start putting additional limitations on this concurrent streams, its not worth the headache anymore.
It wasn't necessarily cheaper in terms of effort until now and I prefer to support the content creators. But I already pay over $20/month and for what? I barely use it, same with my Wife. The one person that does use it the most is getting blocked, so I have a hard time seeing a reasonable alternative.
Using Plex and downloading movies for personal use is legal in some countries like Switzerland.
Goodwill was the only argument they had. Burning that up seems like a great way to kill what income streams they had.
Yeah it was less convenient and now it will be more convenient.
Plex isn't necessarily piracy.
I upvoted this because it's technically true, but common "legal" use-cases involve format shifting and that puts you out of bounds straight away, depending on your jurisdiction.
Even if your area allows it for "backups" or interop, you're making it available in multiple locations at once. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to demonstrate this was some sort of performance or other act explicitly disallowed by the EULA. But I'm sure you're just sharing Big Buck Bunny ;)
My point isn't that it's illegal, only that it's disingenuous enough to suggest it is legal. Plex definitely lies in a grey area of tolerated home use, with features that turn it into a piracy nightmare.
Even if your area allows it for "backups" or interop, you're making it available in multiple locations at once. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to demonstrate this was some sort of performance or other act explicitly disallowed by the EULA. But I'm sure you're just sharing Big Buck Bunny ;)
My point isn't that it's illegal, only that it's disingenuous enough to suggest it is legal. Plex definitely lies in a grey area of tolerated home use, with features that turn it into a piracy nightmare.
Couldn't the same be said about allowing others to use your Netflex account?
I think Netflix is licensing you access to their library, and not that friend who uses your account.
Yes, that's exactly the argument Rightsholder groups in the UK are making. They claim it's piracy, the same as if you downloaded it yourself.
Netflix is hiring roles for digital ads teams where they specifically mention wanting to push ads on the platform to subscribers.
Netflix got captured and is now in the process of killing its core user experiences paying customers enjoy. It's inevitable poor performance as a result of these unfriendly changes and the terrible content they create has enacted death by a thousand cuts we see for each one of the online platforms like Facebook.
Netflix got captured and is now in the process of killing its core user experiences paying customers enjoy. It's inevitable poor performance as a result of these unfriendly changes and the terrible content they create has enacted death by a thousand cuts we see for each one of the online platforms like Facebook.
The Netflix Enshittification
They are dense as $##&. 15 years and almost no innovation except a slightly worse catalogue and a reduction of genres....and now ads.
quality! mwah! beautiful! I want the product team working on my tombstones...they know death
quality! mwah! beautiful! I want the product team working on my tombstones...they know death
Netflix has no real incentive to innovate because every other streaming service delivers an even worse UX. The only thing keeping the others afloat is their content.
The one saving grace is that all of this streaming mess is still a better experience overall than cable and satellite TV.
The one saving grace is that all of this streaming mess is still a better experience overall than cable and satellite TV.
I'm still waiting for Netflix to update their profile transfer tool to allow moving profiles to a new account. I was sharing an account and now also have my wife's account. I'd really like to be able to move my profile from the old account to my wife's account to avoid losing history, but the tool currently only allows moving to a completely new account.
I really think such a feature is necessary if Netflix really wants people to only share with those in the same household. People in a household change over time and their current model doesn't really facilitate that.
I really think such a feature is necessary if Netflix really wants people to only share with those in the same household. People in a household change over time and their current model doesn't really facilitate that.
Would it really be that big of a deal to start over?
I get the annoyance of starting over on something like YouTube or Spotify where you've built up libraries of people/artists you follow, videos/music, playlists, etc. But Netflix is just watch history basically. You can't even really trust stuff in "My list" to stick around because their library of content rotates so much. And it's not like their recommendation system does much more than recommend whatever is new and popular. I feel like you could watch 10 movies on a new account and it'll dump you into a bucket of recommendations identical to where you were before.
I get the annoyance of starting over on something like YouTube or Spotify where you've built up libraries of people/artists you follow, videos/music, playlists, etc. But Netflix is just watch history basically. You can't even really trust stuff in "My list" to stick around because their library of content rotates so much. And it's not like their recommendation system does much more than recommend whatever is new and popular. I feel like you could watch 10 movies on a new account and it'll dump you into a bucket of recommendations identical to where you were before.
It seems it would be a big deal for me. Perhaps that's not how I would feel in practice if I bit the bullet and did it. But I really would like to keep my list.
How many items are in your my list?
When Google Play Music ate the dust I had to re-add all the albums in my library to Apple Music. It was a few hour project, and that's with Apple Music's slow, janky Mac interface. On Netflix I feel like you could search for + add like 10 movies/shows per minute.
When Google Play Music ate the dust I had to re-add all the albums in my library to Apple Music. It was a few hour project, and that's with Apple Music's slow, janky Mac interface. On Netflix I feel like you could search for + add like 10 movies/shows per minute.
~200. I'd just rather wait for Netflix to solve my problem for me. What I'm doing now is working fine.
kinda yes. Recommendations that are irrelevant to you because you already watched it are annoying.
Not knowing where you ended up, which episodes you have already seen are annoying. Especially if its between seasons
that is a big part of the netflix value proposition. You sit back in your coach, and just binge watch the next recommended thing
Not knowing where you ended up, which episodes you have already seen are annoying. Especially if its between seasons
that is a big part of the netflix value proposition. You sit back in your coach, and just binge watch the next recommended thing
Does this not work for you: https://help.netflix.com/en/node/124844
That is for transferring a profile to a new account which is exactly my point. I have another existing account I want to transfer the profile to. I don't want to create a new account.
Ha. I see. I wonder whether they’ll add that capability. It would also be super useful when people become a couple and move in together… merging your Netflix accounts.
Unlikely given their goal is to promote splitting of accounts into more paying customers, not merging into fewer.
That's not their goal. Their goal is for accounts to map to households. When I marry someone or live with someone, we're the same household.
I think that is overly charitable. Their goal is to maximize profits and provide their shareholders with value.
And the way to do it is to commission great content that many people around the world with varying tastes want to pay for.
If people are watching but not paying, then there's less money to invest in new, exciting content so subscribers get screwed.
If people are watching but not paying, then there's less money to invest in new, exciting content so subscribers get screwed.
Exactly my situation :)
Netflix recommendations are ass anyway, what are you really losing by just starting fresh?
I'm not sure I care that they are trying to get people to stop sharing accounts. At large, that feels fine and I'm always curious the lengths people will go through to not pay a small subscription fee. Especially for things they actively use the heck out of. (Notably, I seem to only know of people that do this where both sides of the share watch a ton of television.)
I am not at all looking forward to it again thinking I'm sharing my account within the same household. Last time they were trying this, I had to setup the kids TVs, again. Was very annoying.
I am not at all looking forward to it again thinking I'm sharing my account within the same household. Last time they were trying this, I had to setup the kids TVs, again. Was very annoying.
This is the thing, I pay for a family plan with 4 concurrent streams. I allow my mom and brother to use this account. They barely use it. But the service isn't worth $20 to me if they cut them off. I will just cancel it, and they wont pick it up either. If you sell me 4 concurrent streams, then I want to be able to use them regardless of physical location.
So you’re paying $20 for a service that you and your brother and your mother barely use? Why?
I signed up to Netflix prestreaming. When they switched to streaming, it was a great deal. They had loads of content and no competition. That is not the case anymore. I continued to pay because I used it enough that it was worth it. Then I kept it because my mother and brother couldn't afford it on their own and I wanted to provide some value to them. Netflix is making me re-evaluate the value they provide us. Here is a corporation that I have been paying for for over 15 years. My oldest subscription. If they are about to lose me, imagine how many others are on the fence as well.
You should cancel Netflix!
If a movie rental is $6 and you watch one movie a month, it’s maybe worth it if 3 people are watching 1 movie a month (plus a little extra).
But not worth $20 for 1 movie or show a month. Better off just renting stuff or buying shows. Or for some people, worth toggling subscriptions as needed eg I subscribed to Hulu to watch The Bear, Peacock for the Olympics, Fox for the World Cup, etc. Then cancelled immediately after (with Apple I can cancel immediately after subscribing, so I don’t forget!)
But not worth $20 for 1 movie or show a month. Better off just renting stuff or buying shows. Or for some people, worth toggling subscriptions as needed eg I subscribed to Hulu to watch The Bear, Peacock for the Olympics, Fox for the World Cup, etc. Then cancelled immediately after (with Apple I can cancel immediately after subscribing, so I don’t forget!)
I just find this hard to really come to terms with. Why is access for others a consideration to what it is worth to you? And do you have any logic that would allow you to share with family, but would not allow friends to share? For that matter, why can't I just pay one login for my entire neighborhood?
(And before you think that is obviously wrong, realize that some buildings do just that sort of agreement for cable tv access.)
(And before you think that is obviously wrong, realize that some buildings do just that sort of agreement for cable tv access.)
If Netflix had advertised itself with "neighborliness is sharing a password" and encouraged people to sign up for 30-screens-at-a-time plans, you might have a point. But they didn't.
Because there are so many services just like Netflix, I cancel the ones I'm not using. Netflix is the only one I share with my in-laws, who watch a few episodes a week on it. But I also don't care to cancel it when they are using it. That's a human thing, not a money thing. Take that away, and I will happily cancel Netflix for at least half the year, and only have it active when a particularly compelling show comes along for binging. It is at least twice as expensive as the other services, so I'd prefer not to have it active 12 months out of the year.
I can't think of a way they can enforce almost anything without annoying a bunch of people with false positives.
If someone has a secondary home like a chalet they go to from time to time, they'd have to pay for a second account?
If someone has a secondary home like a chalet they go to from time to time, they'd have to pay for a second account?
No, because they do explicit vacation passes. If you literally maintain two households --- or, like my family, have a kid in a college apartment --- you're probably going to have to spring for a second account. Which, fair enough: the college apartment also requires us to spring for a second ISP bill, second utilities, second toaster; it was nice to get away with not duplicating the Netflix bill, but not reasonable to feel entitled to it.
No, it is not "fair enough". Those aren't the same situations. You need to pay a second ISP bill because that requires physical infrastructure to be laid down and maintained. Same with utilities and the toaster. Once you have the network connection you can access Netflix just fine. Unless they place an arbitrary restriction on it.
Me thinks you haven't given much (any?) consideration to how much physical infrastructure Netflix has sprinkled around so that streaming works well.
Then they shouldn't sell multi-screen plans. I don't particularly care about how much they spend on infrastructure-- that's not my problem. If I'm a customer I expect to be able to use what I pay for
By that logic, everyone on earth can share a single account!
Perhaps you didn’t know, but Netflix operates one of the biggest CDNs on the planet: https://openconnect.netflix.com/en/
Perhaps you didn’t know, but Netflix operates one of the biggest CDNs on the planet: https://openconnect.netflix.com/en/
> By that logic, everyone on earth can share a single account!
I suppose we can take turns watching content on their 3 screen(!) plan. My ticket #1,204,394,701 should come up in around 30,000 years.
I suppose we can take turns watching content on their 3 screen(!) plan. My ticket #1,204,394,701 should come up in around 30,000 years.
If I pay for 7.88 billion concurrent streams, yeah I would expect to be able to have everyone access it
What a stretch of logic on your part. They don't offer a plan for several billion people
Probably will impact folks that travel and want to watch while away from home. Specifically, those where their family did not travel with them.
That said, probably easy enough to deal with that, as I'm guessing most of them take a common device with them? Not sure.
But, yeah, your example is pretty much how I view this. Was nice for a few cases where it was working. But hardly earth shattering.
That said, probably easy enough to deal with that, as I'm guessing most of them take a common device with them? Not sure.
But, yeah, your example is pretty much how I view this. Was nice for a few cases where it was working. But hardly earth shattering.
I don't know anything about Netflix's system, but similar-seeming anti-fraud systems just fingerprint devices. Chances are, if you normally watch from your laptop or iPad and travel a lot, you're not going to notice any changes.
Exactly. Is what I tried to allude to with "common device."
That said, with how many folks leave their contacts in rental cars, I wouldn't be too shocked to know folks try to login at other locations. I imagine that would be a popular integration with hotel booking systems. Basically, make it so your netflix is attached to the hotel tv when you get there.
My gut is that hotels also don't want that?
That said, with how many folks leave their contacts in rental cars, I wouldn't be too shocked to know folks try to login at other locations. I imagine that would be a popular integration with hotel booking systems. Basically, make it so your netflix is attached to the hotel tv when you get there.
My gut is that hotels also don't want that?
Presumably they know when they are streaming for a given account. They could simply say an account can be used for a single stream, and decline to start a second concurrent stream for the same account. Include download playbacks as a form of stream. The headache of coordinating watch times when sharing accounts would incentivise additional subscriptions.
That is precisely what they shouldn't do. I have several televisions and devices in my one house.
Granted... We don't actually watch too much television, such that it may not actually impact us if they do it this way. Still, I imagine many families with children would be heavily impacted by this strategy.
Granted... We don't actually watch too much television, such that it may not actually impact us if they do it this way. Still, I imagine many families with children would be heavily impacted by this strategy.
Yes! You have a second home and it's a chalet. You can afford two Netflix subs.
Yes. Not to bothered about the account sharing but it’s looking like it may add a bunch of friction to use Netflix away from your primary residence/device.
If the friction becomes to much, Netflix looses its value and illegal downloads look more appealing again.
When current budgets are tight I can’t see how Netflix wins with this as likely will push away users as it’s a non essential service with declining content quality as they’ve gone for quantity not quality now and Netflix isn’t the only streaming provider in town now.
If the friction becomes to much, Netflix looses its value and illegal downloads look more appealing again.
When current budgets are tight I can’t see how Netflix wins with this as likely will push away users as it’s a non essential service with declining content quality as they’ve gone for quantity not quality now and Netflix isn’t the only streaming provider in town now.
> that feels fine
Sure. It's also fine for everyone they're betraying to cancel their subscriptions. I don't understand what your point is. Are you saying it isn't fine to be upset?
Netflix specifically promoted account sharing. Paying for multiple streams, "love is sharing your password," etc. And they made millions of dollars off that marketing during the pandemic lockdowns. Now they want to pull the rug out from under people. They deserve every bit of criticism they're getting.
Sure. It's also fine for everyone they're betraying to cancel their subscriptions. I don't understand what your point is. Are you saying it isn't fine to be upset?
Netflix specifically promoted account sharing. Paying for multiple streams, "love is sharing your password," etc. And they made millions of dollars off that marketing during the pandemic lockdowns. Now they want to pull the rug out from under people. They deserve every bit of criticism they're getting.
People keep saying that Netflix explicitly promoted account sharing. Netflix has been telegraphing that they were going to clamp down on password sharing for years. Nobody can pretend they didn't see this coming. I dispute that a random social media manager joke tweet from 6 years ago is dispositive of anything, but even if it was, you've had over 2 years to cancel your account if you find this outrageous. This is on you, not Netflix.
Many companies softly announce an intention to do something to guage how their users will react, then adjust course based on the response. Netflix has been doing that, and people spoke up. Now that they finally committed and have rolled this out, of course the people who spoke up (and probably many more that didn't care until it was actually rolled out) will speak out against this.
Nobody is "pretending" that this came out of the blue. That train of thought is just as disingeous as expecting people to stay silent and cancel their subscriptions over what may not end up becoming policy.
Nobody is "pretending" that this came out of the blue. That train of thought is just as disingeous as expecting people to stay silent and cancel their subscriptions over what may not end up becoming policy.
Dude. I'm not a Netflix subscriber and I haven't been for some time. Stop trying to make things personal, it's against the site guidelines and it's ugly behavior besides. This isn't "on me" and has nothing to do with me. This has to do with Netflix getting greedy and jumping the shark.
Sorry, I'm addressing the whole thread, not just you in particular. It's not personal, but I could have written more carefully.
While it isn’t unnatural to react so emotionally to this, I think the only thing to really ask yourself is: do you enjoy the shows and movies that Netflix has? Is it worth the price? If the answer is yes, then who cares how they evolve their terms?
No. The only thing to ask yourself is: do you allow antisocial behavior to go unpunished?
Your proposed heuristic is both objectively terrible from a game-theoretical perspective and completely unnatural for any primate.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma#The_ite...
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1220806110
Your proposed heuristic is both objectively terrible from a game-theoretical perspective and completely unnatural for any primate.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma#The_ite...
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1220806110
> allow antisocial behavior to go unpunished?
I don't know where people get the energy from to do this sort of thing. It must be exhausting.
I don't know where people get the energy from to do this sort of thing. It must be exhausting.
"Fuck that, I cancel" doesn't take much energy. And it puts money in your pocket.
Concur if it is about the value for money you get no longer making sense.
But if one does it purely out of spite or to make a point, I think there are better ways to spend one's energy and time. But that's just me.
This is a funny aspect to me. I'm much more likely to cancel if they keep canceling shows after a season. :D
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If I have an apartment and I'm single, but the plan that best fits my needs has an allowance for streaming on two or four devices at once, then why should I not be able to share that extra device I'm never using but paying for?
Let's make our content offering worse, start blocking account sharing and also increase our prices.
Decreasing the value to their customers thrice is a bold strategy.. let's see how it plays out.
Decreasing the value to their customers thrice is a bold strategy.. let's see how it plays out.
moving from offense to defense... tends to be a bad sign
As the person paying for a Netflix account used by my household, I don’t really care from a monetary standpoint.
However I don’t like technical barriers Netflix is erecting. Tracking IPs, Device-IDs and linking them to location info. I pay for the service and I’m not okay with these extensive measures.
Oh boy, here we go.
Very curious to see how stringent they are going to be in enforcing this. This is going to disrupt a lot of multi-generational families who share an account but don't all live under the same roof.
Very curious to see how stringent they are going to be in enforcing this. This is going to disrupt a lot of multi-generational families who share an account but don't all live under the same roof.
this.
I would have no problem with paying a little fee to allow a second primary location.
But I don't suspect my parents will go through the hassle to create and pay for a separate Netflix account.
Secondly, I don't know if I could justify paying for a Netflix account just for myself.
I would have no problem with paying a little fee to allow a second primary location.
But I don't suspect my parents will go through the hassle to create and pay for a separate Netflix account.
Secondly, I don't know if I could justify paying for a Netflix account just for myself.
netflix was already pretty expensive for the 4k service. Really don't see how it's worth $20 a month when I can't split it with my family anymore.
What does "multi-generational" have to do with anything? My mom doesn't live under my roof, and also I have no business sharing my Netflix account with her.
What does a "roof" have to do with internet content you pay for?
Answer: nothing!
Their 4k plan wording: "Watch on 4 supported devices at a time"
OK - I pay them, we use up to 4 supported devices at a time. End of story!
What's next, you can't get a 4-line cell phone plan unless all 4 lines are "under the same roof"? Makes just about the same amount of sense!
The "live together" limitation is being added for "business" reasons to charge more for the same service. There's no way to get 4K without paying for 4 simultaneous screens, but they're making a new limitation so you have to pay for 8 simultaneous screens to still get 4k if there's a second roof involved.
Give me a 1 stream, 4K plan for $10/month and I'll be happy to pay for a second plan for my in-laws (who watch 1 or 2 episode a week)!
Answer: nothing!
Their 4k plan wording: "Watch on 4 supported devices at a time"
OK - I pay them, we use up to 4 supported devices at a time. End of story!
What's next, you can't get a 4-line cell phone plan unless all 4 lines are "under the same roof"? Makes just about the same amount of sense!
The "live together" limitation is being added for "business" reasons to charge more for the same service. There's no way to get 4K without paying for 4 simultaneous screens, but they're making a new limitation so you have to pay for 8 simultaneous screens to still get 4k if there's a second roof involved.
Give me a 1 stream, 4K plan for $10/month and I'll be happy to pay for a second plan for my in-laws (who watch 1 or 2 episode a week)!
As Netflix is making clear, you're not paying for 4 households to use their service, but rather 4 devices within the household. There's a lot of gaslighting going on here: in the main, people who were sharing their Netflix accounts with their parents, siblings across town (cough), LDRs, and kids at college knew they were stretching the limits of what these services intended. If they weren't, there wouldn't be a name ("password sharing") for the phenomenon.
Correct. Netflix is making it clear that while they created a 4K, 4-stream plan, and millions subscribed to it, they've changed the terms to add physical geography limitations to an internet content plan.
They've changed the terms, and people on the wrong end of that change are unhappy with the change, with good reason. It's not gaslighting to have situations where you pay for something under terms of a contract, and the contract changes.
Why are you all for Netflix's term change? It seems like it's worse for consumers, and I fall into the "consumer" bucket, so I dislike it. Are you suggesting consumers suck it up, keep their mouths shut, and submit to corporate overlords? Or are we allowed to complain that the terms of the agreement have been altered, and we'd like them to please not alter them further.
And I'm not saying they can't make the change. Just that it is clearly worse for me. If it's enforced, the change in value proposition will be significant enough that I will opt out of it. We're a family without kids, but with in-laws. Why should kids living at home with lots of screens be favored by Netflix over a family like mine? Either way, I pay for the number of simultaneous screens, as per the previous version of the agreement. Ah yes - they want to squeeze more money out of my particular family arrangement. I feel entitled to complain about it, and take this change in contract as an opportunity to end it.
They've changed the terms, and people on the wrong end of that change are unhappy with the change, with good reason. It's not gaslighting to have situations where you pay for something under terms of a contract, and the contract changes.
Why are you all for Netflix's term change? It seems like it's worse for consumers, and I fall into the "consumer" bucket, so I dislike it. Are you suggesting consumers suck it up, keep their mouths shut, and submit to corporate overlords? Or are we allowed to complain that the terms of the agreement have been altered, and we'd like them to please not alter them further.
And I'm not saying they can't make the change. Just that it is clearly worse for me. If it's enforced, the change in value proposition will be significant enough that I will opt out of it. We're a family without kids, but with in-laws. Why should kids living at home with lots of screens be favored by Netflix over a family like mine? Either way, I pay for the number of simultaneous screens, as per the previous version of the agreement. Ah yes - they want to squeeze more money out of my particular family arrangement. I feel entitled to complain about it, and take this change in contract as an opportunity to end it.
Since at least 2019, Netflix has been saying they were going to crack down on password sharing. People who truly believed Netflix was offering them a four household plan for $20/mo have had over 3 years to cancel. Personally, I don't think anybody reasonably believed that was what the plan meant, but either way.
Of course the new enforcement is worse for everybody who was exploiting it this way. Any enforcement would be worse for somebody.
Of course the new enforcement is worse for everybody who was exploiting it this way. Any enforcement would be worse for somebody.
> Personally, I don't think anybody reasonably believed that was what the plan meant, but either way.
Hey, it's me. A person that reasonably believed that 4 simultaneous screens meant 4 simultaneous screens. Not 4 simultaneous screens on the same household.
I guess, Ask me anything?
Hey, it's me. A person that reasonably believed that 4 simultaneous screens meant 4 simultaneous screens. Not 4 simultaneous screens on the same household.
I guess, Ask me anything?
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Do you think I should buy another Netflix plan for the Tesla, or does it live together with me in the same household?
"Household" seems to be such an arbitrary and fuzzy line to draw. What's a household? If I live in a duplex with my extended family living in the unit next to me, should I be able to share an account with them? They're under the same roof, but with a different address. What about people living in a guest house? Same property address, different roof. What about roommates living in the same house, with a single living room? What about roommates living in the same house, but in an entirely separate living space on another floor? What about a communal dorm that shares kitchen/bathroom facilities among many students, but have separate sleeping spaces? Does it matter if the roommates are related or unrelated?
If any of these make a difference, why does Netflix care where your walls and roof are, or what the layout of your home is, or who's living with who?
If any of these make a difference, why does Netflix care where your walls and roof are, or what the layout of your home is, or who's living with who?
You literally pay for a number of parallel streams, i.e. screens. It shouldn't matter whether those screens are where I am or on Mars if you paid for a subscription that includes them.
E2A: From their own marketing of their subscriptions:
>Watch on 4 different devices at the same time with Premium, 2 with Standard and 1 with Basic.
E2A: From their own marketing of their subscriptions:
>Watch on 4 different devices at the same time with Premium, 2 with Standard and 1 with Basic.
My mom doesn't know how sign up for Neflix, so she's been using my account on her phone for a long time. I only keep the subscription because she uses it, I would have cancelled long ago if it was up to me. I doubt I'm the only one that will just cancel if Netflix stops account sharing, and my mom won't sign up if she has to pay a subscription.
That's perfectly fine. If your household isn't using Netflix, you should cancel it.
I use it a couple of times a year, the reason I keep it is that my mom likes it, so I'd prefer to keep the status quo going, but if Netflix changes it I probably should cancel it, yes.
Millions will cancel. Their hope is more will join. If it doesn’t work, they will roll back (and apologize), as they did with Flixter/Quikster/DVDs a decade+ ago.
If we degrade the service, surely more will join!! Makes perfect sense...
You can just do the sign up for her, no?
Like I said, I'm sure she will not want to pay for Netflix herself, and while I wouldn't mind paying it for her if she'll use it, she probably won't like that either. Part of the reason she's OK with me paying is that she thinks I'd be paying for it anyway and she's just tagging along, but I'm not getting nearly enough value out of it to pay for it, even less to pay for two accounts. I could sign her up without telling her, but I'd rather not. Maybe I'll stop using the account altogether so only my mom is using it and hopefully that doesn't trigger the monthly check-ins for her, but if it does I'll probably just unsubscribe and look for something more convenient.
Except for how they actively encouraged it for years.
You seem to get downvoted but you are right: https://twitter.com/netflix/status/840276073040371712
That does not follow.
Now, that is separate from the argument that because they didn't strictly enforce their ToS, that people now feel entitled to something and may drive some people away from the service.
Now, that is separate from the argument that because they didn't strictly enforce their ToS, that people now feel entitled to something and may drive some people away from the service.
There's a real difference between "didn't strictly enforce their terms of service" and "actively encouraged a behavior".
They definitely did the latter.
They definitely did the latter.
I don't recall their marketing, but I'll take your word for it. If that was so, then they will reap what they sowed and that's on the Marketing head to step up and come correct --they should have known this was coming (both the need and the blowback). However, they can change their ToS after the current agreement is over with each customer.
Not for the last several years, they haven't.
Okay, but I have a memory longer than the last several years. I signed up for Netflix more than several years ago.
It reminds me of the West Wing series where President Bartlett is mad that his wife expects him to hold to the promise of talking to her before he makes the decision to run again. He says: "Damn it Abbey! That was 4 years ago!", as if a promise expires because it's old.
Now, Netflix didn't make a promise, but they did set consumer expectations about their service. And that expectation doesn't expire just because it's old.
I mean, they obviously have every right to change their behavior, but it's totally reasonable to point out that this is a change in their behavior, and a change in the agreement between them and the consumer (maybe not a literal change in the TOS, but a change in the practical agreement that we had).
It reminds me of the West Wing series where President Bartlett is mad that his wife expects him to hold to the promise of talking to her before he makes the decision to run again. He says: "Damn it Abbey! That was 4 years ago!", as if a promise expires because it's old.
Now, Netflix didn't make a promise, but they did set consumer expectations about their service. And that expectation doesn't expire just because it's old.
I mean, they obviously have every right to change their behavior, but it's totally reasonable to point out that this is a change in their behavior, and a change in the agreement between them and the consumer (maybe not a literal change in the TOS, but a change in the practical agreement that we had).
My parents don't live with me and yet they are part of my phone plan. Like netflix I pay a little extra so they can be on it as well as I can. Why is it unreasonable to share an account?
For the same reason you can't "share" your cable with your neighbors. Nobody cares that you're related. If you live in different households, you were obviously meant to get different accounts.
> you were obviously meant to get different accounts
Here's a tweet from netflix itself about how great it is to share accounts: https://twitter.com/netflix/status/840276073040371712
Here's a tweet from netflix itself about how great it is to share accounts: https://twitter.com/netflix/status/840276073040371712
Give me a break. Netflix has been saying they were going to shut this stuff down for at least 2 years now.
> If you live in different households, you were obviously meant to get different accounts.
I don't see why that's "obvious". Not only is that the way many other plans work (see: cell phone plans), it's literally how Netflix itself marketed the service for years.
I don't see why that's "obvious". Not only is that the way many other plans work (see: cell phone plans), it's literally how Netflix itself marketed the service for years.
It's kind of up to the service provider to establish their terms and it's up to you to decide if you are willing to enter into those terms. Some services are per account per device, some are more permissive and some provide discounts when you add more users to a main account. But, it's not a birthright of any kind.
You wouldn't even share your netflix account with your own mother? That's ice cold.
I may not want her to know what I watch. I certainly don’t want her to accidentally use my profile and mess up my recommendations.
You can set a passcode for your profile.
That would be very tedious if I have to enter a passcode to watch in my own home on my TV.
Two extra seconds of input when starting Netflix wouldn't bother me. Shouldn't take longer than that to enter a PIN.
I don't care. Netflix is free to run their business into the ground as they see fit. I've been thinking about cancelling anyway because their content just isn't worth the cost. This helps make the decision.
Coming soon to HN: announcement of massive layoffs at Netflix.
Coming soon to HN: announcement of massive layoffs at Netflix.
Second they enforce this, I'm unsubscribing
Yeah, same. Their plans included a number of active screens/supported devices a at a time. It seems pretty ridiculous to charge for the number of screens but then put restrictions on where those screens are.
And you need to get those active screens if you want 4K. You can't subscribe to a "one screen @ 4K" plan, you need the full-blown family plan.
If you don't want people sharing their login with people, then maybe sell them a single-seat 4K plan.
If you don't want people sharing their login with people, then maybe sell them a single-seat 4K plan.
Too right. I only got the 4-person NF account for my elderly Dad. If he's out, I'm unsubscribing and going back to the high seas for their content. What a shame - four years ago was truly the golden age.
Yep, paying $20/mo specifically to be able to play on 3 devices. If they stop allowing sharing, there is little to no value in that plan for me anymore.
You can choose one of the cheaper plans right? For instance Basic is $6.99 https://help.netflix.com/en/node/24926
Yeah, if you like being stuck with TV that looks like what we got in 2004.
Netflix should stop whining about account sharing when they demand I pay for two screens to get minimally acceptable TV, but can only use one per their terms.
Netflix should stop whining about account sharing when they demand I pay for two screens to get minimally acceptable TV, but can only use one per their terms.
It's $15.50 if you want actual HD, and $20 for 4k.
Netflix making this change pushed me back to piracy. The setup costs more than a netflix subscription, they just don't want my money I guess.
If “the setup costs more than a Netflix subscription” (presumably your piracy setup), why do you do it? It doesn’t seem rational.
Because there's no bullshit like this preventing me from sharing with family who are overseas (gets really fun when we want to watch something together but it's available in their country but not mine). Because I can download the content and store it locally for trips. Because I can now access a wider selection of content than Netflix offers.
It's not cheap, but the fact that I and other commenters here are willing to pay that money and spend the effort of setting up piracy engines is a pretty loud signal that the entertainment market has failed. Again.
There was a golden age when Netflix had a great catalog and didn't engage in dark patterns. It's long gone, and the streaming industry has become worse than the cable tv industry. I'm happy paying multiples of the netflix subscription cost for my piracy setup just to have the convenience and ownership of the content.
It's not cheap, but the fact that I and other commenters here are willing to pay that money and spend the effort of setting up piracy engines is a pretty loud signal that the entertainment market has failed. Again.
There was a golden age when Netflix had a great catalog and didn't engage in dark patterns. It's long gone, and the streaming industry has become worse than the cable tv industry. I'm happy paying multiples of the netflix subscription cost for my piracy setup just to have the convenience and ownership of the content.
Why is it worse than the cable industry?
I can't speak for them but I'd argue that it is very likely much more convenient too. Plus you aren't limited to just Netflix's library.
Why’s that? FWIW, this isn’t something new, this household sharing rule/explanation has been posted for years, and Netflix has been enforcing it softly, not very strictly except for obvious and egregious offenders for a long time.
Netflix is signaling that they're going to start cracking down on it.
>Later in Q1, we expect to start rolling out paid sharing more broadly. Today’s widespread account sharing (100M+ households) undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business. While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly. So we’ve worked hard to build additional new features that improve the Netflix experience, including the ability for members to review which devices are using their account and to transfer a profile to a new account. As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with. As is the case today, all members will be able to watch while traveling, whether on a TV or mobile device.
>As we work through this transition – and as some borrowers stop watching either because they don’t convert to extra members or full paying accounts – near term engagement, as measured by third parties like Nielsen’s The Gauge, could be negatively impacted. However, we believe the pattern will be similar to what we’ve seen in Latin America, with engagement growing over time as we continue to deliver a great slate of programming and borrowers sign-up for their own accounts.
https://s22.q4cdn.com/959853165/files/doc_financials/2022/q4...
>Later in Q1, we expect to start rolling out paid sharing more broadly. Today’s widespread account sharing (100M+ households) undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business. While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly. So we’ve worked hard to build additional new features that improve the Netflix experience, including the ability for members to review which devices are using their account and to transfer a profile to a new account. As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with. As is the case today, all members will be able to watch while traveling, whether on a TV or mobile device.
>As we work through this transition – and as some borrowers stop watching either because they don’t convert to extra members or full paying accounts – near term engagement, as measured by third parties like Nielsen’s The Gauge, could be negatively impacted. However, we believe the pattern will be similar to what we’ve seen in Latin America, with engagement growing over time as we continue to deliver a great slate of programming and borrowers sign-up for their own accounts.
https://s22.q4cdn.com/959853165/files/doc_financials/2022/q4...
While that’s true, what I said is also true: this definition of sharing has been posted for a long time. I know because I’ve linked to it before when people complained about Netflix sharing. The shareholder letter isn’t the linked article, and nothing in the linked article signals a change.
2 years ago: “Netflix to start testing warnings for people borrowing login info” https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26424186
2 years ago: “Netflix to start testing warnings for people borrowing login info” https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26424186
I'm ok with not allowing multi "household" sharing in principle, but I doubt this can be enforced without causing problems for even for single household users and seems like an odd way to handle this. Thinking about travel especially. Restricting the number of currently streaming devices makes way more sense to me and should support "add a screen" up charges. Rather than fighting the "sharing" use case - why not find a way to monetize it?
I can hardly wait to see how this plays out in my family.
2 adults, 2 kids, multiple devices (Phones/Tables/AppleTV/"Smart" TVs), multiple homes, one 4 stream subscription. On average i would say each user has about 3 devices capable of watching Netflix, and on any given day i would say 8-12 different IP addresses are in use, depending on commutes to/from school/work.
Add to that the summerhouse which also has AppleTV.
And while i don't mind them trying to limit password sharing, i will not spend my time defending myself over legitimate use, so the second this bothers me i'm hitting the unsubscribe button. I have enough "time robbers" to deal with, and i'm too old to deal with stuff that doesn't work by itself once setup. Keeping the internet/wifi running is work enough, i don't need the extra stress of signing in my kids devices every n days.
2 adults, 2 kids, multiple devices (Phones/Tables/AppleTV/"Smart" TVs), multiple homes, one 4 stream subscription. On average i would say each user has about 3 devices capable of watching Netflix, and on any given day i would say 8-12 different IP addresses are in use, depending on commutes to/from school/work.
Add to that the summerhouse which also has AppleTV.
And while i don't mind them trying to limit password sharing, i will not spend my time defending myself over legitimate use, so the second this bothers me i'm hitting the unsubscribe button. I have enough "time robbers" to deal with, and i'm too old to deal with stuff that doesn't work by itself once setup. Keeping the internet/wifi running is work enough, i don't need the extra stress of signing in my kids devices every n days.
They already are restricting the number of devices and charge you for extra.
Im paying for the 4K plan in the UK which comes with up to 4 devices simultaneously.
We have Netflix installed on the TV, consoles, mine and my other half’s mobile devices and based on the T&C when I signed up it’s ok because it’s a single household.
However I don’t see how they’ll enforce no sharing whilst not breaking existing household account usage.
Im paying for the 4K plan in the UK which comes with up to 4 devices simultaneously.
We have Netflix installed on the TV, consoles, mine and my other half’s mobile devices and based on the T&C when I signed up it’s ok because it’s a single household.
However I don’t see how they’ll enforce no sharing whilst not breaking existing household account usage.
The add a screen up charge seems like such an obvious move. There's an up charge for 4k, so why not this? It just seems like an easy fix. Would it eliminate 100% of the problem being addressed, no, but it would go a long long way for PR moves.
Then again, it's easy to arm chair other people's decisions.
Then again, it's easy to arm chair other people's decisions.
I have a decent television at my house. I don't need to watch Netflix on my laptop/tablet/phone at my "primary location". I only need to do that when I'm out and about.
There should be a clear exception for IPs belonging to hotels. Or if a lot of different accounts are all coming from the same IP. That should indicate a transient population and would likely mean that the account holder is the one trying to watch Netflix.
I fucking logged in. I pay for 4(?) screens at once. It's the same whether you're delivering 4 streams to one IP or 4 streams to 4 IPs.
There should be a clear exception for IPs belonging to hotels. Or if a lot of different accounts are all coming from the same IP. That should indicate a transient population and would likely mean that the account holder is the one trying to watch Netflix.
I fucking logged in. I pay for 4(?) screens at once. It's the same whether you're delivering 4 streams to one IP or 4 streams to 4 IPs.
Me and my friends watch netflix only on TV and subscribe to the 4K plan, one TV each. Now, if they make us buy our own plans, they should atleast make a single-device UltraHD tier.
Totally agree. I give out my password to friends because their current tiers (4k also means you get 4 screens) make it seem like I’m paying extra to be able to do so.
What if you own, for example, a lake house? No Netflix for the same family using a different house on occasion?
> Watch Netflix while traveling or from a different location?
> If you are traveling or live between different places, you can continue to enjoy Netflix.
> If you are away from your primary location for an extended period of time, your device may be blocked from watching Netflix. You can request a temporary access code to continue watching.
Vague answer. It's ok until it's not ok. How long is an "for an extended period of time"? A month? a couple of months?
> If you are traveling or live between different places, you can continue to enjoy Netflix.
> If you are away from your primary location for an extended period of time, your device may be blocked from watching Netflix. You can request a temporary access code to continue watching.
Vague answer. It's ok until it's not ok. How long is an "for an extended period of time"? A month? a couple of months?
I could swear it said seven days when I looked at the link, but now it doesn’t say that.
In the linked article they talk about the travel use case.
Pirate life is so much more convenient than these constant rug pulls by conglomerates. Just sayin'
How does this affect those with family plans through T-Mobile who get "Netflix on us"? It's Netflix at the account level, not individual line. Hopefully no change.
I used to think that every action these big corps do, has been calculated for months by a team of analytics professionals and even the most apparently nonsensical move has a calculated ROI. After seeing Meta burn money into their metaverse furnace and Netflix insisting on this, I'm starting to think that might not be the case.
Then again, Netflix has talked about shared accounts for so long that it only looks like China's final warning at this point.
I don't know why we are treating this article as news. Everyone in the comments seems to be wondering about how much they will enforce it in the coming days.
The truth is that the article has been up since at least March last year (http://web.archive.org/web/20220321152735/https://help.netfl...)
The truth is that the article has been up since at least March last year (http://web.archive.org/web/20220321152735/https://help.netfl...)
If I were Netflix, I’d first block simultaneous streaming in multiple locations.
So many comments below talk about giving parents/siblings access and they barely use it (I fall in this camp). If that’s true, you’ll almost never notice the restrictions.
But if it’s Friday night and your mom is watching Emily in Paris and you want to watch Seinfeld, you’ll decide to either watch something else, pay up for another account, or decide you don’t want to pay more for something you and your mom are both wanting (at the same time).
So many comments below talk about giving parents/siblings access and they barely use it (I fall in this camp). If that’s true, you’ll almost never notice the restrictions.
But if it’s Friday night and your mom is watching Emily in Paris and you want to watch Seinfeld, you’ll decide to either watch something else, pay up for another account, or decide you don’t want to pay more for something you and your mom are both wanting (at the same time).
Netflix already limit number of simultaneous streams. Higher tier allows more simultaneous streams.
I wonder, given the website interface on a laptop (ie not the smartphone app) how they're going to detect when someone's VPN'd into home using, eg, Tailscale. Traffic is going to look like it's coming from home and, except for ping times, which could be blamed on bad wireless interference, seems like it would be undetectable to Netflix.
What is abused is that a lot of customers took the 4k plan to share with family and co and it is usually reasonable because you would not share for more than 4 persons/devices being able to watch at the same time.
What is abusive is that Netflix used that possibility as a selling argument justifying the premium of the 4k plan. And it is like they are trying now to make you pay again for the same thing by pretending that they did not expect you to share and that needs a separated option.
I understand that now that they reached the ceiling of growth in term of new users they are trying to pivot to continue the growth, but I consider this as a breach of trust for customers, bracing the promise they did before.
What is abusive is that Netflix used that possibility as a selling argument justifying the premium of the 4k plan. And it is like they are trying now to make you pay again for the same thing by pretending that they did not expect you to share and that needs a separated option.
I understand that now that they reached the ceiling of growth in term of new users they are trying to pivot to continue the growth, but I consider this as a breach of trust for customers, bracing the promise they did before.
Looks like as long you can reach the other person within 15 minutes to get the code. It's all fine?
What's the point of having a tier for sharing an account if you can't....share your account?
You can share your account, with other people at your same physical location.
You can't share your account with people who are going to be primarily watching Netflix from a different physical location than your own.
Does not seem unfair, IMO.
Does not seem unfair, IMO.
I am in a LDR and hence have a shared account. I also do spend significant amount of time away from my primary location. This is just going to be annoying.
If you're in a long distance relationship, you're in two different households, and need two different accounts. Before there was Netflix, there was cable TV; did you expect to share that with your significant other? What other services do you share cross-country that way?
Why do people compare Netflix with cable? It's a completely different technology. There are more differences in the technology that similarities. It's similar to asking someone who's using a mobile phone to buy a 2nd mobile phone for work because "You don't expect to be able to use your land line phone at work as well, do you?"
Because cable and Netflix literally do the exact same thing and serve the same roles in the market, and just because it happens to be the case that it's trivial to give your Netflix account to everybody, and not just to your next-door neighbors like in the sitcoms, that doesn't make it commercially reasonable to do so.
> What other services do you share cross-country that way?
Email, phone, password manager, ... any other internet based service.
Netflix is not like cable. Cable is provided by a physical wire connected to one location. Netflix is delivered over any internet connection. If I pay to have multi-device access, it should not matter where those devices are located.
Email, phone, password manager, ... any other internet based service.
Netflix is not like cable. Cable is provided by a physical wire connected to one location. Netflix is delivered over any internet connection. If I pay to have multi-device access, it should not matter where those devices are located.
What about your internet connection. Can you share you 5G in two different locations at same time?
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My mother-in-law is a self-proclaimed useless person at anything technical. You don't know how many hours it took for us to explain her phone to her. I gave her a Netflix profile and signed her in to my account. It makes life so much easier. I'd happily pay more for the ability to share my account with her. At this rate we'll have to administer two accounts from our house, rather than let her use mine. Why are they just making this harder, rather than just asking us to pay more to continue doing what we're doing?
This doesn't affect me currently, but I used to (privately) watch Netflix at work all the time. This policy would (IMO unreasonably) prevent me from doing that. They could probably get most of the effect they want by limiting this policy to TVs and leaving portable devices + computers be.
It actually wouldn't prevent that. They cover that basic scenario and the requirement is that you watch at least one thing from your home IP account at least once every 31 days on whatever device you are going to be using from a remote location. Worst case scenario, you open the Netflix app on your phone and let it "watch" something while you're sleeping, or on a Zoom call on your laptop, etc.
So you're saying if I have a non-share enabled tier, I can't invite people over to netflix and chill?
If that's not what you're saying, then if I don't need sharing for use in the home, then what purpose does the share tier serve if I can't share it?
If that's not what you're saying, then if I don't need sharing for use in the home, then what purpose does the share tier serve if I can't share it?
My bet would be that the satisfying condition is disjunctive: either you're watching from an IP range that Netflix trusts, or you're watching from a device that Netflix trusts because it was fingerprinted and used regularly from that IP range.
What you can't do is give your password to someone outside your household and have them watch Netflix from their house whenever they want. Which, I mean, obviously that was never really OK.
What you can't do is give your password to someone outside your household and have them watch Netflix from their house whenever they want. Which, I mean, obviously that was never really OK.
> So you're saying if I have a non-share enabled tier, I can't invite people over to netflix and chill?
Curious, how did you extract that from the above? Inviting people over to watch with you isn’t sharing your account, nor is it watching from outside your household.
Curious, how did you extract that from the above? Inviting people over to watch with you isn’t sharing your account, nor is it watching from outside your household.
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the intent is to let you watch a movie in your room while your partner/kids/parents/roommate looks at another in a different one.
Please explain, in detail, how you think this is fair for those of us who are single.
There isn't a tier for sharing it outside your household. There are different screen tiers, so one person can be watching upstairs, one can be watching downstairs, and one can be watching on the bus, etc. But they're all supposed to live together.
What's very annoying is that that those are also the max resolution tiers. It is the 1 screen max 720p tier, the 2 screen 1080p max tier, and the 4 screen 4K UHD tier.
The resolution I want and the number of screens I want are almost completely independent, so it is annoying to me that they don't have plans that decouple them.
The resolution I want and the number of screens I want are almost completely independent, so it is annoying to me that they don't have plans that decouple them.
From https://www.netflix.com/ChangePlan
Only people who live with you may use your account. Watch on 4 different devices at the same time with Premium, 2 with Standard and 1 with Basic.
Only people who live with you may use your account. Watch on 4 different devices at the same time with Premium, 2 with Standard and 1 with Basic.
Why not just let me pay more for a seamless experience where I can share X number of profiles outside my household? Instead, next time I'm at my parents I have to spend time setting up all their devices again?
Canceled them yesterday. I had been dragging my feet for a while; had been using a 4-screen plan and with their recent price changes and these policy changes and not-so-great content lineup, the cancellation decision has been easy. I am sure many people feel similarly. Bucking the most recent quarterly bump in their subscriber count trend, they are likely to see a backlash and drop in subscribers, one they won’t recover from because those subs aren’t coming back.
Who has the best loop-back server & router setup for those with enough fiber to server their extended family who like to smoke Laramie's?
Can i have my parents vpn in to my home network? Or will Netflix somehow block that like it blocks commercial vpn services
The nice thing about VPN to your home network is that traffic leaving it will be indistinguishable from your own home traffic from Netflix's perspective.
I'm still unclear on how they are going to do this without significantly affecting the customer experience.
Probably by cookie-ing or fingerprinting your device, and then tying that to IP geolocation. They don't need to get close to 100% accuracy and they can do things to err on the lenient side. It doesn't seem that hard a problem compared to other anti-fraud systems I've seen. I think it'll probably work fine.
That’s exactly what Hulu started doing. You have a “home location” and if someone logs in from far enough away to trigger their systems, they’ll have them set that location as your new home. You’re only allowed 4 of those changes per year without calling some support line so it seems pretty effective.
How does that work for Hotels or if you regularly travel between two locations?
For Netflix, you get a travel pass. But, more importantly: the allow condition is probably disjunctive: trusted device OR trusted location. If you're just watching on your laptop or iPad, you're probably fine no matter where you are.
a nerd: I always bring NUC and streaming stick to hotel!
Or watching anywhere out of the house on mobile data. Does that not count?
Yeah... and recently I have to reset my ESN every 24 hours to be able to stream at 1080. Drops to 540p otherwise. I don't watch 4k, I am at premium for those 4 streams. One for my sister who doesn't earn yet and one for my in-laws who wouldn't sub themselves.
I think I'll just drop it.
I think I'll just drop it.
Looks like they've now retracted it from the site: Here is a screenshot before it was removed https://i.imgur.com/EpyIkux.jpeg
I wonder how the “fingerprinting” will deal with users who access Netflix primarily through a VPN or relay service.
On Netflix’s side, they would see multiple accounts accessing the service via the same IP ranges.
On Netflix’s side, they would see multiple accounts accessing the service via the same IP ranges.
VPNs still work with Netflix?
Way back when Netflix was mostly still non-original content and movies, the US had a far superior selection compared to Canada, so a lot of us Canadians used VPNs to get access to US content.
Around 2015 Netflix clamped down hard on VPNs, such that I couldn't even use them to watch any content, let alone content from specific countries. I tried a few options and all failed, so I assumed most other people gave up with me.
Way back when Netflix was mostly still non-original content and movies, the US had a far superior selection compared to Canada, so a lot of us Canadians used VPNs to get access to US content.
Around 2015 Netflix clamped down hard on VPNs, such that I couldn't even use them to watch any content, let alone content from specific countries. I tried a few options and all failed, so I assumed most other people gave up with me.
Buy a small router (like one from gl-inet), set up wireguard to VPN back to your household router. Connect Netflix device to that router.
I'm curious, have people had good experience with these? Any specific model recommendations? They look great!
I have the GL-MT1300 (Beryl) device. I think it works fine. I've used it for travel and it did really well at providing a VPN using the hotel network. It has a UI on top of OpenWRT which I like as I think OpenWRT is a bit too fidly for me.
Is there a place to buy non-pirated films/TV for download yet? For replacing netflix with a dlna server.
Of course not. Your options for your own server are high seas, or pray they use vaseline.
The logic of many responses in this thread remind me of George Costanza’s “preemptive break up”.
Wonder what this will mean for watch Netflix on mobile devices and funny enough, in cars
I’m a DN and travel in and out of my primary location. This means I’ll need two or more Netflix accounts?
I’m fine with it if they decrease the subscription fee to a quarter. Nobody I know has 4 TVs in their house. Charging for “4 screens” while enforcing this new policy is a simple cue to unsub Netflix for good.
Pirating is about to skyrocket.
Netflix hasn't had content worth watching in awhile
230 million paying households around the world + ? Million people sharing would disagree with you.
inertia
That’s really selling people short. I don’t believe that that many households are paying even though they don’t think they’re getting value for money.
Netflix have published the rules for their forthcoming attempts to prevent account sharing.
To try to be generous/polite, how am I supposed to read many of these comments other than... rampantly entitled?
Regarding concurrent stream plans, I'm afraid you're going to have a very bad not great day if you get mad about every tech-y company over-selling to unsuspecting consumers...
Or are we keeping with the feigned-ignorance thing and acting like a company growth-hacking and rug-pulling customers is anything but absolutely run-of-the-mill.
Regarding concurrent stream plans, I'm afraid you're going to have a very bad not great day if you get mad about every tech-y company over-selling to unsuspecting consumers...
Or are we keeping with the feigned-ignorance thing and acting like a company growth-hacking and rug-pulling customers is anything but absolutely run-of-the-mill.
I don't understand, first you describe other users "rampantly entitled" then you explain perfectly legitimate reasons for them to be annoyed with this decision?
I... i dont even think there's a way to have conversations here anymore. There are undoubtedly people here who work for countless startups that do thr exact same thing, use countless products that work the exact same way. And yet, 2 threads a day about how Netflix implementing something theyve warned about doing for literally years.
Lol! Its like this site having more pity for consumerist tech workers that pissed away hundreds of thousands a year versus rhe empathy displayed for otherwise actually poor, disenfranchised folks.
Lol! Its like this site having more pity for consumerist tech workers that pissed away hundreds of thousands a year versus rhe empathy displayed for otherwise actually poor, disenfranchised folks.
However, if they block her access I can't see any reason to keep my 4k plan. I can get anything we want on a Plex server and give her whatever she wants to watch that way.
I was already on the fence with the lack of content on Netflix, but this may just be the straw that breaks the camel's back.