A hot potato: Netflix isn't oblivious to the fact that lots of people share their account login details with others. It's one of the reasons why the streaming giant introduced separate profiles and allows for multiple simultaneous streams with select plans. The problem is that these features were designed for accounts to be shared under a single roof, not with relatives or friends halfway across the country.
Over the last year, Netflix has been working on ways to enable users who share outside their household to do so easily, securely and fairly. In the coming weeks, Netflix will start testing two features it has come up with to combat the issue.
The "add an extra member" option will allow standard and premium plan-holders to add up to two sub accounts for people they don't live with. Each sub account will have its own profile, recommendations and login credentials.
Existing remote users will be able to transfer their viewing profiles, either to new accounts or to an extra member sub account to retain their viewing history and personalized recommendations.
Netflix will trial the new approach in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, with pricing starting at 2,380 CLP in Chile, $2.99 USD in Costa Rica, and 7.9 PEN in Peru.
The approach feels like a reasonable compromise on Netflix's part, and seems better than more drastic measures like banning account sharing entirely. But, what are your thoughts? Is $2.99 a fair price to pay to scrub one's guilty conscience?
Image credit Karolina Grabowska