More competition is better for consumers, right? Well, not always. The rise in the popularity of streaming platforms also paved the way for more options, which, admittedly, makes for better quality content across multiple subscription services. Unfortunately, this also meant having to maintain multiple subscriptions for those who want to keep up with the latest from their favorite shows.
A common solution employed by subscribers is sharing passwords, despite not sharing the same household. Even though this is technically not allowed as detailed in Netflix's Terms of Service, they haven't really enforced it - until now.
In a post on the company blog, the streaming platform is looking to find a way around account sharing "with individuals beyond your household." Netflix's director of product innovation Chengyi Long explained that sharing accounts between households have impacted Netflix's "ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members." Specifically, what Netflix plans on doing is to up charge subscribers for "sub-accounts," starting with users in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru.
According to Long, Netflix will introduce two new features to solve this issue: letting users pay for sub-accounts and an option to convert existing user profiles into individual accounts or sub-account.