Netflix to finally crack down on password sharing

SAN FRANCISCO: Streaming giant Netflix is finally set to crack down on password sharing in the US this summer.

Netflix originally planned to roll out "paid sharing" in the US during the first quarter this year. The company will now introduce the feature on or before June 30.

"We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the US, in Q2," the company said in its first-quarter 2023 earnings.

"Paid sharing is another important initiative as widespread account sharing (over 100 million households) undermines our ability to invest in and improve Netflix for our paying members, as well as build our business," the company added.

Netflix first launched paid sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal.

The company said it is also upgrading its ad-supported plan in terms of streaming quality and concurrent streams.

Netflix users subscribed to this plan will be able to see content in 1080p resolution (up from 720p) with support for two concurrent streams.

The feature is being rolled out to users in Canada and Spain now and people using the ad-supported plans in other 10 markets will receive these features later this month.

"We believe these enhancements will make our offering even more attractive to a broader set of consumers and further strengthen engagement for existing and new subscribers to the ads plan," Netflix said.

Netflix says it will allow up to two extra members per account, and its fee per extra user varies by country.

The sharing plans are available to members using Standard ($15.49 a month) and Premium ($19.99 a month) subscriptions.