Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing. The popular streaming service has been using popups to ask some users to verify their account via email or text or to “verify later.” “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,” the screen reads, according to Streamable.com, which first reported the test. The test comes as streaming services proliferate and more people share passwords and services.
Netflix confirmed the test but did not say how many people were part of the test or only in the US or elsewhere.
“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” the company said in a statement.
Plans that support all devices include Rs 499 monthly basic plan, which users can only stream on one screen at a time. Then there is the standard and the most popular plan, Rs 649 monthly, that allows two simultaneous streams; the Rs 799 per month plan allows streaming on three devices and content in 4K and HDR quality. In India, Netflix offers a Rs 199 monthly mobile plan, which does not include streaming on TV or computer. For mobile, Netflix has recently also rolled out a Rs 299 monthly Mobile+ plan to allow subscribers to access streaming services in 720p high-definition (HD) video.
However, there has never been a limit on sharing an account when you aren’t streaming at the same time.
Competition has definitely heated up in entertainment streaming, with recent entrants running from Disney+ in 2019 to Paramount+ most recently. Still, Netflix remains the one to beat with more than 200 million subscribers globally.