It’s finally happening. After years of rumors that Netflix (and other streaming services) would start preventing users from sharing their Netflix account with people outside their household, Netflix is finally cracking down. But there’s a catch.
The company announced today in a blog post that they will begin testing a feature that prompts users who share their account with others outside their household to either transfer their profile to a new, separate account or pay a fee to add them as an “Extra Member.”
For now, this feature is only being tested in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. One can imagine this is only the beginning of a larger strategy that will impact all Netflix regions across the world, however.
Netflix accounts with Standard and Premium plans in these early test regions can add two sub accounts for people they don’t live with. This will cost 2,390 CLP in Chile (or 2.98 USD), 2.99 USD in Costa Rica, and 7.9 PEN in Peru (or 2.12 USD). The so-called “Extra Members” will get their own profile, personalized recommendations, login, and password.
Members on Basic, Standard, and Premium plans in the test regions who choose to transfer to a new account instead of adding an “Extra Member” will keep their viewing history, personalized recommendations, and titles saved to “My List” in the new account.
It’s still unclear what mechanisms will be used to determine which profiles belong to members who don’t live with the primary Netflix account holders.
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