Netflix freeloaders could be forced to pay their way

Sharing your Netflix password with a mate? That could come to an end. Source: Getty

It’s well-known that Netflix users can ‘share’ their accounts: one member pays, and the others leech off that user by either setting up as a registered account, or simply logging in with their password.

Up to four devices can stream Netflix at any one time, but passwords can be shared, theoretically, as many times as one wants to.

But that cost-effective arrangement could soon be coming to an end.

• Also read: Netflix's Aussie price hike today could see it lose thousands of subscribers

• Also read: Thousands of users drop Netflix after subscription price hikes

• Also read: Netflix keeps sliding as competition concerns grow

In a new interview where Netflix discussed its Q3 2019 earnings, chief product officer Greg Peters said it was “continuing to monitor” the password-sharing situation, as reported in 7 News.

“We’ll see those consumer-friendly ways to push on the edges of that,” Peters said.

"We have no plans to announce at this point in time, in terms of doing something differently."

While there’s no comment on how the crackdown will come into effect, it could mirror the changes implemented by music-streaming service Spotify, which required each member of a family plan to verify they lived at the same address.

When asked to comment on any upcoming changes, Netflix confirmed to Yahoo Finance it had no plans to announce at this time.

Netflix price hikes

The changes come as Netflix introduced price increases to their premium subscription plan, which bumped it from $17.99 to $19.99 per month – an extra $24 per year.

The price hikes in Australia followed those in the US in January, which saw Netflix lose a staggering 126,000 US subscribers. It was the first time the company lost domestic streaming customers in its 12-year history.

Additionally, only 2.7 million subscribers signed up, compared to the 5 million anticipated.

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