Top player in OTT Netflix will launch an offensive against password sharing by making freeloaders pay for a service they use from a paying subscriber’s account for free.
One account, one household
A new post on the company’s FAQ page states that an individual account can be accessed by people living in one household.
“To ensure uninterrupted access to Netflix, connect to the Wi-Fi at your primary location, open the Netflix app or website, and watch something at least once every 31 days.
This creates a trusted device so you can watch Netflix, even when you’re away from your primary location,” the company wrote in an updated Help Center document.
In case of attempted login from outside
So now we know that with the new change anyone sharing an account across multiple locations will be charged additionally.
When a new device associated with the primary account is trying to log in from a different address, the user will have to enter a four digit verification code emailed/texted to the subscriber within 15 minutes to gain access.
With this, the device attempting to gain access from somewhere else will have uninterrupted access to the account for the next seven days.
Netflix will track IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to verify devices claiming to be under the same roof.
In case of travel or change in location
Users travelling with the primary device will not face any login issues while at a different location.
But they may occasionally be requested for device verification if they are away from the primary household for an “extended period of time” — presumably exceeding 31 days.
In this case Netflix says that “your device may be blocked from watching Netflix.”
In order to continue watching the user will have to request a temporary access code.
Netflix reassured that “users won’t be automatically charged” when caught sharing passwords with people outside the household.
Reasoning behind the new changes
It will likely be careful about its next move before enforcing any drastic measures upon its user base.
It also specified that the number of devices which can stream simultaneously will depend on the chosen plan, same as earlier.
Netflix has previously shared that over 100 million households reportedly availed the benefits of a shared password significantly impacting the company’s revenue.
In an effort to stem the losses incurred, the streaming service had launched a new advertising-supported tier called the new “Basic with Ads” subscriber tier in November last year.
Although it was Netflix’s least popular plan in its first month, the new tier resulted in a surge in sign-ups in December.
