It looks like the gravy train is over for Netflix users who do not pay. According to reports Netflix users are seeing a message saying “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.” This is a limited trial of the new policy and is not uniform in its delivery as of yet.
Furthermore, users will be asked to verify the account with a phone or email verification. Not that this completely prevents a user from getting back in, but it could make for some awkward conversations if it belongs to an X, or even more, someone you never knew. It can also shut off access to anybody who gets Netflix through a more nefarious means like these strange too-good-to-be-true bundles that include Netflix and other services for one low cost.
Netflix has over 200 million customers on the record but truthfully has more viewers. Chances are that we all know somebody who has a profile on someone else account and that started long before the costs got where they are now. Some even argue that sharing accounts encourage people to keep services as not to cause a problem for friends or family who like a service. But that is a different conversation.
Netflix makes a lot of money from its subscribers must lose millions because of password sharing. Emagine is just a 3rd of people who get Netflix from a friend or relative paid for it instead. As streaming becomes more of a mainstream and dominant way to watch TV customers are going to have to get used to seeing more of this. Don’t expect Netflix to be the last to do so.
