The not-so-eagerly-awaited Netflix move to limit the practice of subscribers sharing passwords has arrived. On Tuesday, the streaming giant announced that as of May 23, the company will be sending an email to U.S. subscribers who are sharing their Netflix passwords outside their households. The email informs subscribers that Netflix account users must be in the same household, living in the same location as the primary account holder.
As the Netflix Help Center explains, a “Netflix Household is a collection of your Netflix devices connected to the internet at the main place you watch Netflix. A Netflix Household can be set using a TV device. Devices that use your Netflix account on the same internet connection as this TV will automatically be part of your Netflix Household.”
How can Netflix tell who’s in the “Netflix Household?’ The Help Center says the company uses information including IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity “to determine whether a device signed into your account is part of your Netflix Household.”
If no “Netflix Household” is set, Netflix will automatically set one, based on IP address, device IDs, and account activity. If a subscriber doesn’t watch Netflix on a TV, or doesn’t have a TV, the subscriber doesn’t need to set a “Netflix Household” for their account.
If subscribers want to include people living outside the household on their account, it will cost money. Subscribers on the standard plan can add one extra member who doesn’t live in the household. Premium account holders can add up to two extra members who don’t live in the household.
The standard subscription costs $15.49 per month, and an extra member can be added for $7.99 per month. Premium subscriptions cost $19.99 per month, and up to two extra members can be added for $7.99 per month.
According to Netflix, extra members have their own account and password, but their membership is paid for by the person who invited them to share their Netflix account.
Though Netflix is imposing limits on how many subscriptions can be associated with a household, the company says everyone living in a “Netflix Household” can use Netflix on their devices even if they’re traveling, on vacation or otherwise away from home.
More of our coverage: Netflix is ending its DVD by mail business, cracking down on password sharing
— Kristi Turnquist
503-221-8227; kturnquist@oregonian.com; @Kristiturnquist
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