Netflix has announced plans to test a feature which would charge people for sharing accounts outside their household.
As revealed in a blog post, the test will roll out in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru over the next few weeks. During the test, subscribers will be able to add sub accounts for up to two people they don’t live with at the price of $2.97 in Chile, $2.99 in Costa Rica and around $2.11 in Peru.
A statement from Netflix’s director of product innovation, Chengyi Long, reads: “We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans.
“While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households – impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.
“So for the last year we’ve been working on ways to enable members who share outside their household to do so easily and securely, while also paying a bit more.”
As part of the trial, another feature is being tested which will allow subscribers of Netflix’s basic, standard or premium plans who share their account to transfer profile information either to a new account or an “Extra Member” sub account. This will allow people to transfer their viewing history, My List and personalised recommendations.
At this point, these features aren’t guaranteed to become a permanent part of the service. “We’ll be working to understand the utility of these two features for members in these three countries before making changes anywhere else in the world,” Long adds.
Last year, the platform introduced two-step verification in a more subtle way to curb password sharing.
In January, Netflix increased its subscription prices for users in the US, as the company faces increased competition from the likes of Disney+, HBO Max and Apple TV+.
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