Netflix subscribers may soon be charged extra for password-sharing

Netflix is set to launch a test which will see its subscribers pay an additional fee for users outside their household.

The test, which is the streamer's latest attempt to curb illicit password sharing, will first launch in three countries - Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.

Speaking on the new move, Netflix's Director of Product Innovation Chengyi Long shared: "Netflix will let members who share their accounts with people outside their household to do so easily and securely, while also paying a bit more.” It, however, remains unclear if the test will be explored in other countries.

Long in a blog posted on Netflix on 16, March, 2022 said “We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans,”

The post further reads, "While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households - impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.

"So for the last year we’ve been working on ways to enable members who share outside their household to do so easily and securely, while also paying a bit more. And over the next few weeks, we’ll launch and test two new features for our members in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru:

"Add an Extra Member: Members on our Standard and Premium plans will be able to add sub accounts for up to two people they don’t live with - each with their own profile, personalized recommendations, login and password - at a lower price: 2,380 CLP in Chile, 2.99 USD in Costa Rica, and 7.9 PEN in Peru;

"Transfer Profile to a New Account: Members on our Basic, Standard, and Premium plans can enable people who share their account to transfer profile information either to a new account or an Extra Member sub account - keeping the viewing history, My List, and personalized recommendations."

Password sharing is arguably one of the streamer's biggest concerns with multiple attempts proofing unsuccessful.

According to the Netflix terms of service, a customer’s account “may not be shared with individuals beyond your household'.