After months of rumors, speculation and tests in Latin America, it’s official: Netflix restricts the use of shared accounts on its platform in Spain, putting into effect the new system, through which, users of the streaming service will only be able to share their accounts with other people outside the home by paying an extra monthly fee.
Netflix made the official announcement on its social networks on the night of Wednesday, February 8, sharing a statement on the company’s blog, detailing the new plan, which is applied immediately. The new system has also been launched in Portugal, New Zealand and Canada. Netflix accompanied the announcement on networks with this message: “We know there’s a lot of confusion out there about how to share Netflix. Since each account is meant for one household, starting today you’ll see new features that give you better control over your account. And you’ll be able to keep watching Netflix when you’re on the go.”.
Under the new plan, subscribers will need to set the account’s primary location by connecting from the primary IP address. From the statement, Netflix promises “help subscribers set it up, so everyone in your household can use their Netflix account”. To do this, an access and device management section is enabled in which subscribers can control who accesses their account, which, according to Netflix, is their “main objective”.
What about profiles created by sharing a password outside of the main home? Netflix offers this solution: “Now, anyone who uses an account can move their profile to their own paid account, keeping their personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, their saved games and much more”. In other words, if you don’t want to lose the profile you have on the account of your brother, friend, co-worker, etc., it has to become paid, otherwise you won’t be able to use it.
From now on, to add extra subscribers to your account, you have to pay. Accounts subscribed to the Standard or Premium plans may add subaccounts for people who do not live at the address established as the main location. Each of these sub-accounts will have its own profile with personalized recommendations, its own username and password, and will cost €5.99 per month per person in Spain. But beware, there is a limit: you can only create a maximum of two subaccounts.
Regarding the use of Netflix when traveling, the company clarifies that “As always, subscribers will be able to watch Netflix on their personal devices or sign in on another TV (at a hotel or vacation rental, for example)”. In addition to the new conditions, Netflix has published an updated table with the benefits of its plans.
Netflix’s explanation
Netflix has wanted to justify its controversial decision, arguing that shared passwords are an impediment to the creation of its content. “We’ve always made it easy for people living under one roof to share their Netflix account with features like profiles and multi-screen viewing”can be read in the statement. “While they’ve been hugely successful, they’ve also caused some confusion about when and how you can share Netflix. There are now over 100 million households sharing their accounts, which reduces our ability to invest in creating great stories, told with series and movies of the highest quality”.
The new measure has met with a negative reception on social networks, where users of the platform are criticizing Netflix’s decision and announcing that they will unsubscribe en masse and/or go to other platforms. They anticipate criticism and promise to listen to their users: “We value our subscribers and understand that they have many entertainment options available to them. Each Netflix account is designed for a single household, and subscribers can choose from several plans with different features”. And they end like this: “As always, we’re going to refine these new features based on feedback from our subscribers to keep making Netflix better for years to come.”.
Reference-www.ecartelera.com
