In a move that was always going to happen but is still going to come as a disappointment to many, streaming outfit Netflix says it's going to start charging people to share their accounts.
If you live in a handful of countries you're probably already dealing with that of course, with Canada and Spain just two of those that have had what Netflix calls "paid sharing" for a while now. But what's significant is that Netflix now says it's bringing paid sharing to the United States for the first time. More countries are also on the way, although we don't know which ones just yet.
What's more, paid sharing is coming soon. Very soon indeed.
Netflix gettin' paid
Netflix confirmed that paid sharing is coming to the United States as part of a broader rollout in the second quarter of 2023. That means that it will happen within the next couple of months or so.
Paid sharing came about when Netflix decided that people sharing their passwords with other people outside their homes just wasn't something it wanted to allow anymore. It's even something Netflix itself once famously promoted, but no more.
Seemingly aware that people won't pay full price for another account, paid sharing lets the account holder pay a little bit more to allow additional people to access their account. Netflix hasn't said how much it'll charge in the United States, however.
Love is sharing a password.March 10, 2017
The news came as part of a Netflix investors' note in which the streamer also confirmed that it is doing away with its DVD business. The last DVD will be mailed out on September 29, 2023, bringing to an end a 25-year run of those little red envelopes.
With DVDs gone, you might be on the lookout for a new way to watch Netflix. The Apple TV 4K is one way, but it isn't cheap. Thankfully, there are plenty of less expensive Apple TV alternatives on the market that will do much the same job — at least in terms of streaming your latest Netflix obsession.
