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The company that once tweeted “love is sharing a password” is breaking up with password sharing.
Netflix wants to squeeze a few extra bucks out of freeloaders using other people’s accounts to stream shows like “You” and “Ozark” for free.
It may not be alone.
Read the user agreements for popular streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu and you’ll soon discover that sharing account passwords outside your household isn’t kosher with any of them though they haven’t done much to discourage it … yet.
Will Hulu and Disney+ crack down on password sharing?
Streaming companies are under growing pressure. Competitors have multiplied like tribbles on “Star Trek.” Good content is costly to produce.
High inflation is prompting consumers to tighten their belts. And, with so many viewing options at their fingertips, subscribers are getting increasingly fickle. They sign up for streaming services to watch “Yellowstone” or “Succession” only to unsubscribe a few months later.
And, according to a Parks Associates’ 2022 survey, 40% of consumers in U.S. internet households share credentials or use shared credentials, up from 27% in 2019.
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So charging folks who stream without paying could be a coming attraction.
“It is going to be a new reality of streaming going forward,” said Paul Erickson, a media and entertainment technology analyst and principal of Erickson Strategy & Insights.
Did Netflix cancel password sharing?
Some 100 million people watch Netflix using someone else’s account.
So Netflix is restricting streaming access to people who live in the same household. Subscribers who want to share their accounts with people outside their household will have to pay for that access or lose it.
What’s the future of password sharing?
Will Netflix succeed in converting nonpaying users into subscribers? The streaming industry will be watching.
“They want to let Netflix brave the rough waters before they need to,” Erickson said. “They want to find that inflection point where they can ask for more money, but they don’t lose a subscriber.”
Password crackdowns could encourage more people to drop streaming services. So, for now, other streaming services are letting Netflix take the lead.
“Subscribers – who are already reevaluating their budgets – may view the censure as a penalty or price increase,” Parks Associates research analyst Sarah Lee said in an email.
What’s the password sharing policy at HBO Max?
Right now, HBO Max is pretty chill about password sharing. It’s unclear what the policy will be when HBO Max combines with Discovery+ in a new streaming service.
“We anticipate that people living in the same household may share a single account/password, which is permitted in our user agreement,” HBO Max said in a statement. “We are aware that password sharing outside of the household does occur and we discourage that activity.”
Hulu is chill but not about Live TV
Hulu is pretty lax about users sharing passwords, except when it comes to live TV.
Right now you can have two concurrent streams and up to six user profiles.
As a Hulu + Live TV subscriber, you can get the “Unlimited Screens Add-On” to stream on all the devices connected to your home network at the same time. If you’re on the go, you can stream from up to three different mobile devices, the streaming platform says.
But people who are Live TV subscribers must check in with the “Home network” every 30 days to continue accessing live programming, according to the website.
You can share Prime Video through Amazon Household
Amazon Prime Video is part of the Prime membership. You can share benefits with people in your household through “Amazon Household” but you have to also agree to share payment methods.
Apple TV+, Disney+, Peacock and Paramount+
Apple TV+’s family sharing feature allows users to share access with up to six others for free. Apple TV+ users can also invite users with different Apple IDs to join their “family.”
Disney+ lets you stream on as many as four devices at the same time. It also supports seven user profiles.
Peacock lets three people watch at once.
On Paramount+, you can stream up to three devices at once.
