I'm a bit late to this but I want to share my thoughts anyway. Recently Netflix has started cracking down on account-sharing. I don't know if this is happening worldwide, but it is happening in Canada and I think in the US. Initially, I thought that Netflix would deal with account-sharing by charging an extra fee to the primary account (since this was done as a test-run in other regions). While the latter would have been a much easier transition (if the extra fee was reasonable enough), I think both approaches are wrong if the end goal is to gain more account users.
For a long time account-sharing has been going on for Netflix and nothing has been done about it. Yes, this goes against Netflix's terms of service, but if Netflix wanted to do something about it, it should have been dealt with long ago -- back when this would have set a precedent and get everybody used to the idea that account-sharing is discouraged. But now that it's been going on for so long, I believe that has affected many people's perceptions of Netflix's value. Why would somebody start paying for a service when they've already spent many years paying $0 for it (or splitting the cost like what I've been doing)?
Another thing is that I believe Netflix subscription models encourage account-sharing in a way (please note that I can only talk about the subscription models offered in Canada -- subscription models in other regions / countries could be different). Why is the only subscription model that offers 4K video quality the most expensive one and is the model that allows for 4 simultaneous devices to be used? Does that mean only households with multiple people are worthy of watching Netflix in the best video quality? Why isn't 4K offered to the cheaper subscription models that would fit households with less people? For anybody who prefers watching shows / movies in higher resolution, they are encouraged to subscribe to the most expensive model, even if they are living on their own. What is somebody who's living on their own going to do with a subscription that allows for 4 simultaneous devices to be used?
I think if Netflix wanted more account users, there should be more variety for the subscription models -- maybe offer 4K quality as some kind of an add-on so that customers aren't forced to subscribe to the most expensive one.
For myself, I've been account-sharing with my sister and her husband's subscription (the most expensive one for the 4K [$20.99/month]). My sister's husband received noticed about needing to confirm the primary location. We decided that instead of confirming which of us is the primary location, to let Netflix figure it out (whoever gets it will have access till the subscription runs out in April). Afterwards, my sister and her husband won't re-subscribe. I will only subscribe sporadically for a month or two to catch up on some shows (only the basic plan at $9.99/month). This change has resulted in Netflix losing my sister and her husband as a customer.
Hopefully Netflix will make some changes in the future that will attract some of the customers they've lost. Offering more subscription options would be a start.
Thanks for reading!
If you were affected by Netflix's cracking down on account-sharing, what are you doing about it?
Take care and until next time! :)
