Netflix has made new changes to its policy regarding account sharing, and it is everything that Netflix users do not want. According to the new account-sharing policy of Netflix, only individuals living in the same household will be able to share their accounts while being in the same house. This means that your Netflix account will now be bound to the location and if you try to access your Netflix account from any different location, you may get locked out of your account. If you are sharing your account with your friends but have set your location as the primary, then to use your Netflix account, your friends will now have to stay at your location if they want to use the account as well. Otherwise, they will have to purchase their subscription.
Along with this, Netflix introduced another guideline that stated that the primary user of the account will have to log in to their account from their primary location at least once every 31 days. However, within just a day of posting this guideline, Netflix has withdrawn this guideline. Netflix replaced this guideline with the user requiring to use a verification code to verify a different device or location. Netflix has made sure that as long as the user is using the primary internet connection set by the user, they will not require any verification. This change came after users started making complaints against the new policy of Netflix where many even issued threats of canceling their subscription if the service provider does not retract these guidelines. This is because the guideline meant even if the person you have shared your password with is a member of your family, they would not be able to use the account if they are accessing Netflix from different locations, which is just outrageous.
Even though Netflix has removed the guideline of requiring to log in from a primary internet connection once every 31 days, the account sharing guidelines are still in place which is destined to affect the company in the long run. During the inflation and slowing economy, people have significantly reduced their spending on luxuries such as OTT platforms, one of which is Netflix. For almost everyone across the world, Netflix is a luxury and just another of many ways of entertainment. But Netflix executives are treating the service as a necessity, thus expecting users to abide by their rules.
One of the major reasons why Netflix succeeded in developing regions such as India was its ability to share Netflix accounts with four different screens. This feature made the service much more affordable and accessible to people living in countries where people have significantly low purchasing power. Thus, Netflix targeting the feature which offered them the current market share just does not make sense. On the other hand, Netflix has struggled to produce quality shows throughout 2022. Throughout the year, Netflix has offered only a handful of quality shows which does not justify the current price of $20 per month for a Netflix subscription. Thus it will be interesting to see how Netflix will progress through 2023 now that it has revamped its user guidelines.
