Netflix makes sharing subscriber accounts chargeable
The streaming service Netflix wants to make the sharing of subscriber accounts and passwords outside of a household subject to a fee. As the company announced on Tuesday, the restriction will take effect in more than 100 countries - including Switzerland.
Users will have to pay an additional fee if they share their access data with other users who are not part of their household. The initiative "helps us gain a larger base of potential paying members and grow Netflix in the long term," said co-chief executive Ted Sarandos.
"A Netflix account is for a single household. Everyone living together in that household can use Netflix no matter where they are: at home, on the road, or on vacation," the streaming service's website says.
Two new functions are now available for users to share the streaming service with people outside their own household: Under "Add additional member", users can share their Netflix account with a person who does not live in the same household for the additional fee. Alternatively, the profile can be transferred to a person outside the household, who must then take out a separate subscription.
The additional fee in Switzerland will be CHF 5.90 per month. In other European countries, it is graduated. In France and Spain, for example, the fee is 6 euros, in Portugal 4, and in the rest of the world 4.99 euros per month.
The new model has been tested for some time and has been introduced in Canada. "More than 100 million households share their account, which affects our ability to invest in (...) movies and series," Netflix had already stated in February.
Netflix had to cope with a significant decline in subscriber numbers in the first half of 2022. Since the second half of last year, however, the numbers have been rising again. Since the end of last year, the streaming service has been offering an ad-financed service in several countries. (SDA)
