On May 23, after months of deliberation, Netflix finally banned password sharing in the United States. If you want someone outside of your household to be able to access your account, you will need to pay an extra $7.99 a month. Subscribers now have to decide whether to pay more for extra members or kick everyone else off their accounts.
Netflix’s password-sharing ban is here
You probably won’t be surprised to learn that this change hasn’t gone over especially well with US Netflix users. Shortly after the crackdown began, social media was flooded with complaints. Hundreds of Twitter users have been using the hashtag #CancelNetflix in recent days, sharing screenshots of their cancellation confirmations:
That’s just a tiny sampling of the frustration that has boiled over since last week’s ban. Other users took the opportunity to criticize the quality of the content that Netflix has been releasing lately, rail against all of the original series cancellations, and encourage others to cancel their subscriptions as well. Prime Video even got it on the fun:
The streamer knew there would be some churn due to this new policy, but it was not enough to concern the higher-ups. Even if thousands of subscribers cancel, others will simply clench their teeth and deal with the extra member fee to keep watching their favorite shows.
“From our experience in Latin America, we expect some cancel reaction in each market when we roll out paid sharing, which impacts near-term member growth,” Netflix explained earlier this year in an earnings report. “But as borrower households begin to activate their own standalone accounts and extra member accounts are added, we expect to see improved overall revenue, which is our goal with all plan and pricing changes.”
Barring a mass exodus of subscribers, Netflix’s password-sharing ban is here to stay.
