What exactly is behind the Netflix ban on password sharing? The fear of extra costs is still (!) unjustified. We explain the Netflix change.
For a few weeks now, reports have been piling up about password sharing at Netflix. The streaming service is now finally taking action to ban the widespread practice. We will explain the probably biggest Netflix change of 2023 in more detail in a moment. Two things first. First: Password sharing has of course always been prohibited. Second, Netflix’s new password-sharing policy is coming. But how and when the company will enforce it in Germany is not yet certain.
Netflix change 2023: Who is affected by the password sharing ban?
You only need to read this article further if you use, say, Netflix’s most expensive premium subscription and don’t live in the same household as the person who remits membership fees to Netflix each month.
Example: You share the family subscription with your family who live in city A. However, you moved out a month ago and now live in city B. Until now, you have been able to use the old subscription without any problems, although Netflix does not allow this, at least officially. Soon Netflix wants to take official action against shared accounts across household boundaries. But what does that mean exactly? And when do you have to do something?
How exactly does Netflix regulate password sharing from 2023?
In the US, the Netflix change is set to take effect as early as January 2023. Anyone who uses Netflix outside their home household, as in the example above, will then have to have their device verified by mail. Here’s how it works:
How password sharing is controlled
Whoever “illegally” uses a premium account has to pay an additional fee and create a sub-account . The sub-account is then “legal” no matter where you stream.
In the still hypothetical scenario, the additional fee will probably be around 3 euros. This is how high the costs are in the countries where the scheme is active. It is not yet known whether this extra amount will apply to every Netflix fan who streams outside a household, but this arrangement seems obvious. If 4 people in Germany share a premium account, each member could pay around €7.50 from 2023 onwards.
