Netflix's 'Sharing Limit' Reversal Sparks Concern: "What About Single-Person Households Living Independently?"

Netflix, Effectively Encouraged 'Account Sharing' but
Pursues 'Account Sharing Ban' to Improve Performance
"Should We Pay and Endure Inconvenience?" Subscribers Complain

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Netflix announced that it will also enforce account sharing restrictions in South Korea.

Earlier, Netflix declared that it would implement a global policy to prohibit account sharing and impose additional charges during the first quarter of this year. It has already been enforcing additional charges for account sharing since last year in countries such as Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. The issue with this policy change is that it limits user convenience, leading to growing dissatisfaction among subscribers.

Netflix logo. Photo by Netflix [Image source=Yonhap News]

How Netflix's 'Account Sharing Restriction' Will Change

Previously, depending on the subscription plan, up to four people could simultaneously access the account without location restrictions. However, going forward, the service will be changed so that only users living with the account owner can share the account.

According to Netflix’s announcement on its homepage on the 2nd, Netflix will verify whether users belong to the same household by using information such as ▲IP addresses logged into the account ▲device IDs and account activity. If it is determined that they are not from the same household, a separate authentication process will be required. Netflix will send the account owner a link containing a 4-digit verification code via email or phone number, and the code must be entered on the device displaying the authentication request message within 15 minutes.

There was no detailed explanation regarding usage during travel or from other locations. Netflix explained, "Even if members are traveling or moving between multiple homes, they will be able to watch Netflix anytime and anywhere," adding, "For the primary account owner (or those living with the primary account owner), there is no need to authenticate devices to watch Netflix."

However, in countries where the sharing ban has already been implemented, there are notices stating that ▲content must be watched on the primary location’s Wi-Fi network at least once every 31 days, and ▲temporary access codes must be obtained when watching Netflix from other locations such as travel or business trips. Therefore, it is possible that similar policies will be applied in South Korea.

'Sharing is love' they said... Consumers 'uproar' over policy change

This is the second time recently that Netflix has reversed its previous policy. Previously, Netflix had aimed to provide an 'ad-free service,' but changed its advertising plan in November last year to improve performance. This additional charge policy also contradicts Netflix’s previous stance encouraging account sharing. Despite having strict terms of use, Netflix had effectively encouraged account sharing by saying, "Love is sharing a password." However, judging that account sharing was hindering Netflix’s growth, it suddenly declared a ban on account sharing.

Subscribers are expressing strong dissatisfaction with the account sharing ban policy. Especially since this policy change does not consider the convenience of various users, backlash such as a decrease in subscribers is expected.

A 25-year-old office worker, Mr. Han, who subscribes to the premium membership, said, "Do I have to pay and endure inconvenience? Even when I watch on my own account, do I have to verify with a temporary code?" He added, "I subscribed to Netflix just to watch comfortably anytime and anywhere, even without specific content to watch, but if this continues, I will switch to another service."

There are also reactions that the changing policy is confusing. Mr. Lee, a 23-year-old living alone after becoming independent, said, "I subscribed to a membership that allows up to four simultaneous connections for family viewing, so what happens in this case?" He pointed out, "I read the explanation, but there are many parts I don’t understand."