Netflix is raising its prices again in fresh crackdown

If thought you’d gotten away with Netflix’s password sharing crackdown, think again. The streaming giant has confirmed that millions more people will soon be unable to freely share their Netflix accounts with friends, family, lovers and enemies, marking the end of an era for many.

Netflix may have once said that “love is sharing a password”, but since last year, the company has been slowly rolling out paid sharing across the globe. While it’ll still possible be to hand out your login details to friends outside your “primary location”, you’ll have to stand the cost by adding them as an 'extra member' for an additional fee.

Take a look at some behind-the-scenes footage for Stranger Things' fourth season below.

Last year, paid sharing was first rolled out in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, but it didn’t stop there. This February, the streaming giant fulfilled its promise to roll out the crackdown “more broadly” in Q1 2023 when it enforced the new rules in Spain, Canada, Portugal and New Zealand. Now, as Polygon reports, the U.S. is next on the list.

“In Q1, we launched paid sharing in four countries and are pleased with the results,” the company wrote in its Q1 letter to shareholders. “We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the U.S., in Q2.”

Further in the letter, the company admitted that although affected subscribers initially show a “cancel reaction” which “impacts near term member growth” when paid sharing is first brought in, it seems to pay off in the long run. It wrote: “As borrowers start to activate their own accounts and existing members add ‘extra member’ accounts, we see increased acquisition and revenue. For example, in Canada, which we believe is a reliable predictor for the U.S., our paid membership base is now larger than prior to the launch of paid sharing and revenue four growth has accelerated and is now growing faster than in the U.S.”

Unfortunately, it’s not been confirmed just how much more U.S. subscribers currently sharing accounts will have to pay if they want to keep watching as an extra member. In Canada, it’s an additional CA$7.99 per person.