Netflix wants to charge you more for moochers on your account

Netflix is ​​finally gearing up to do something about unauthorized account sharing. After testing a notification last year prompting people to stop fiddling and getting their own Netflix accounts, the company has announced another test in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, making subscribers pay extra to share their account with people outside the home. according to variety, subscribers can add up to two “sub members” for $2.99 ​​each in Costa Rica. Those users get their own Netflix logins, recommendations, and profile.

In addition, Netflix allows subscribers in those countries to transfer individual profiles to completely separate accounts. That makes it easy for moochers to keep their queue and recommendations intact. The company isn’t committed to these features globally yet, but if it works in those countries, don’t be surprised if it starts nagging your parents to pay extra for your account.

“We’ve always made it easy for cohabitants to share their Netflix accounts, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans,” said Chengyi Long, director of Netflix Product Innovation, said in a blog post† “While these have been wildly popular, they have also created confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are shared between households – impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and movies for our members.”

In any case, it’s surprising that Netflix has taken so long to do something about account sharing. The practice is explicitly prohibited in the company’s Terms of Service, but it’s something many people do anyway. (And really, Grandma doesn’t need her own account just to watch her stories.) After raising prices in North America earlier this year, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see the company pushing for additional fees. .