Major Netflix rule change to hit users – and it could cost you more

THE days of sharing Netflix passwords could soon be over.

Bosses have had enough of the much-used practice, after revealing a disastrous fall in subscriber numbers.

2

It comes hot on the heels of price hikes in some parts of the world earlier this year.

Those hoping to save a bit of cash by sharing their password with other households could find their bill jump even higher.

People caught will be asked to cough up about £2/$2.70 to add extra members who don’t live with them.

The Stranger Things and Crown-hitmaker believes more than 100million accounts are breaking its rules by sharing passwords.

Boss Reed Hastings has previously turned a blind-eye, saying it’s “something you have to learn to live with”.

But he’s now admitted the tactic is making it tough to gain new subscribers in some countries.

“When we were growing fast, it wasn’t a high priority to work on [account sharing],” he told shareholders.

“And now we’re working super hard on it.”

Hastings revealed that a new payment plan being tested in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru could be rolled out to more countries.

There, people are told to pay about $2-$3 (£1.53-£2.30) extra for two additional profiles.

But it’s not clear how the new rule would be enforced.

It comes as Netflix announced on Tuesday that it has lost 200,000 subscribers – the first drop the popular service has experienced in a decade.

The firm’s withdrawal from Russia over the Ukraine invasion has been partly blamed.

“Our revenue growth has slowed considerably,” Netflix said.

“Our relatively high household penetration – when including the large number of households sharing accounts – combined with competition, is creating revenue growth headwinds.”

2

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk