Posted on 06/09/2023 9:42:40 AM PDT by Drew68
Well, this might not come as a surprise, but Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown already appears to be working in the US. According to the data analytics company Antenna (via The Wall Street Journal), Netflix saw a huge spike in subscribers in the four days after it notified users about its paid sharing policies on May 23rd.
While average daily signups rose to 73,000 during this window, marking a 102 percent increase over Netflix’s previous 60-day average, Antenna says the streamer also added 100,000 subscribers on both May 26th and May 27th. That’s more subscribers than Netflix raked in once the covid-related lockdowns went into effect in March and April 2020, according to Antenna.
Netflix’s new password-sharing policies ask subscribers to pay an extra $7.99 per month to share their account with up to two people who live outside their household. Even though Netflix has warned investors about a “cancel reaction” that could occur in response to the change, Antenna says there were still more signups than cancellations in the period it tracked.
In February, Netflix rolled out paid sharing in several countries outside the US, including Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain. As a result of the crackdown, the company said during its most recent earnings call that its subscriber base in Canada is “now growing faster than in the US.”
It’s still too early to tell how big of an effect Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown has had in the US just yet, and we’ll likely hear more about how it’s going when Netflix reports its earnings result next month. Here at The Verge, we’re already seeing a mixed reaction in response to Netflix’s crackdown. While my partner canceled the subscription we share with his family in another state, one of my colleagues paid extra to add family members to their account.
I'm temporarily living apart from my family (courtesy of Uncle Sam) and had been using my old Netflix account, which my wife and children also use from their home.
The other day I tried to watch a program and I got a notice that the account I was using did not match the billing address. It did give me an option to choose "traveling" which I did. I then had to retrieve a code texted to my phone (which is on file) that allowed me to use my subscription from my temporary housing.
Anyhow, it looked like the move paid off for Netflix. They were giving away tons of content for free by allowing people to share passwords with countless people.
And, yes, I expect half the replies to this thread will be reminding me that I'm supporting liberals/trannies/Antifa/Satan by watching Netflix. I get it. I still like watching TV shows.
Those idiots. They played chicken and lost.
I remember reading that book sale numbers were hard to track in the Soviet Union because a single copy of book was passed around and read by 10 or more people.
Never had a Netflix subscription and I would drink a Bud Light before I would ever watch that trash.
Had access thru our kid’s acct, but lost that two days ago on the widescreen in the den. Still have access thru the phone app.
Will not be signing up though.
“Those idiots. They played chicken and lost.”
Subscriptions are up. How is that losing?
I mean the people who ran out and got new subscriptions.
[I’ve never had a subscription to Netflix, or any other service.]
Not sure why that would bother you to support - you literally support shows that are porn and have used this platform to promote the same.
Indeed - spending money on substandard “entertainment” at best and subsidizing the Left at worst (Cuties and a host of other x-rated garbage).
Somebody's got do the research and take one for the team!
Yes. There’s more TV available for free than you could watch in 100 lifetimes and people pay for more...and not even good TV at that.
Non Sequitur
“Shocking turn of events”? NO WAY. This rise in subscribers is exactly what you would expect. This move by Netflix is way overdue… and I say that as someone who has abused password sharing.
I had access through someone else’s account. I tried to find things I would like. I found a few things, yes, and many things I regretted seeing. I realized when Netflix cracked down that I was spending way too much time and effort searching through the selections to find something worth watching. I’m done with them. I’m proud I never spent a dime on their content.
This is actually the first increase in subscriptions for Netflix in quite some time.
With the rise of so many other streaming services, their numbers have been whittled away month after month.
The Drug dealer chummed his prey.
It was really bad on college campuses where dozens of people would share the same account.
I'm surprised they didn't do this a long time ago. The tech has been there. When I first subscribed to Pandora, you could only listen to one device at a time. I'm sure it's still like that.
I subscribe to Apple Music's Family Plan which allows for multiple accounts but it's priced at a premium.
I canceled mine after the Obamas got involved.
I don’t subscribe to anything. I stopped watching TV years ago and don’t miss it one bit.
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