Netflix in May began cracking down on password sharing in the US, and the decision worked in the company’s favour, according to subscriber data shared today by analytics firm Antenna (via The Wall Street Journal).
After an end to multi-family password sharing in the US, Netflix averaged 73,000 daily sign-ups per day, up 102 percent from the previous 60-day average. Netflix saw nearly 100,000 daily sign-ups on May 26 and May 27, beating sign-ups even during COVID lockdowns.
Netflix saw an increase in opt-outs after the policy change, but the number of people who canceled did not exceed the number of new sign-ups the company received. Antenna says the ratio of subscriptions to cancellations since May 23 is up 25.6 percent compared to the previous 60-day period.
Netflix averaged 73k daily subscriptions over that period, up +102% from the previous 60-day average. This exceeds the spikes in subscriptions observed during the initial Covid-19 lockdowns in the US in March and April 2020. https://t.co/2CNU67kQST – Antenna (@AntennaData) June 9, 2023
According to Netflix, there were more than 100 million households sharing accounts, which affected their ability to “monetize and improve Netflix” for paying members. The company said it expected some cancellation backlash in the United States, but based on previous rollouts in other countries, the policy change would accelerate revenue growth and member base.
Netflix no longer allows subscribers to share passwords with people who don’t live in the same location. Netflix users are required to create a primary location, and subscribers who live elsewhere cannot use the account. There are allowances for travel or second homes, but Netflix now uses your IP address and other information to limit multi-home use.
Netflix users can pay an additional $7.99 per month to allow one additional member to use a Standard or Premium Netflix account outside of the primary site, and up to two additional people can be added (Premium plan only).
An additional fee provides each person with a profile, personal recommendations, login and password. Alternatively, there is a profile transfer process that will allow those who previously used Netflix for free to create their own paid accounts.
Netflix pricing starts at $6.99 per month for the ads plan. Basic plan with no ads, access one device at a time, and 720p HD streaming for $9.99 per month. The Standard plan with 1080p streaming and access on two devices at once costs $15.49 per month, and the 4K Netflix plan with support for watching on four devices simultaneously at $19.99 per month.
Note that while the Standard and Premium plans allow viewing on two to four devices simultaneously, Netflix’s new policy is that all of these devices must be in the same home location.
