Streaming giant Netflix will trial charging additional fees for users sharing their account with people outside their household in a bid to clamp down on password-sharing.
The trial - which will launch in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru - will allow Netflix users to share their accounts with up to two others outside their household “easily and securely", Netflix director of product innovation, Chengyi Long, said on Thursday in a blog post.
The additional fee will be less than the cost of a separate plan. Users in Peru will be charged 7.9 soles (NZ$3.10) for an extra member, while those in Costa Rica will have to pay US$3 (NZ$4.37). Chilean Netflix users will have to pay an extra 2380 pesos (NZ$4.36).
Primary account holders will be able to continue sharing their account with people in their household through individual profiles.
Long said while the separate profiles have been "hugely popular", it's led to "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.”
Long said users in the three markets will be notified of the changes in the coming weeks.
“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,” she said.
It's unknown if the extra charges will be made a permanent part of the service.
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