Netflix users will have to pay extra if caught sharing passwords ‘next year’

NETFLIX has been threatening for a while to end password sharing and it looks like the crackdown will properly start as soon as next year.

It’s thought more than 100million users watch the popular streaming service with an account that doesn’t belong to them.

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And after a tough year of subscriber losses Netflix sees it as an opportunity to turnaround its fortunes.

The Stranger Things maker has apparently been putting off the idea for years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Netflix boss Reed Hastings reportedly told senior staff earlier this year that a huge surge caused by Covid lockdowns had masked the true extent of the problem – and that they had left it too long to tackle it.

Now the company is finally preparing to address the issue, starting with the US early 2023, it’s claimed.

Bill payers who share their account will be asked to cough up extra – though it’s still not entirely clear how it’ll enforce the changes.

The firm will use things like IP addresses and device IDs to detect who is sharing their account, as well as analysing account activity.

Netflix has already tested additional charges in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.

Users caught there are forced to cough up around £2/$2.70 in addition to their monthly subscription fee.

The streaming giant has already rolled out some huge changes to address the problem.

It’s already started a new feature allowing users to easily detach their profile with all your favourites and recommendations intact on your own paying account.

But the biggest of the bunch was the arrival of a new ad-support subscription plan.

Netflix Basic with ads launched in November costing £4.99 / $6.99.

The company says viewers can expect to see an average of about four minutes of ads per hour.

Aside from the ads themselves, there are other limitations.

Some shows and movies are missing due to licensing issues, such as Happy Gilmore, American Pie and Mr Bean’s Holiday.

The firm recently told The Sun it is working on resolving these restrictions.

It claims titles that are available represent on average from 85 to 95 per cent of viewing depending on the country.

Another big difference is you can only get a maximum of 720p video quality, as well as only being able to use the account to watch from one screen at a time.

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