As Netflix Prices Rise, 'Kkomsu' Spread... Surge in Access to Illegal Sites

Netflix, Disney Plus, YouTube, and Others Raise Prices One After Another
Methods to Evade Crackdown Such as Circumvention Access Emerge

Following Netflix, global online video services (OTT) such as Disney Plus have been raising subscription fees one after another, leading to the spread of ‘workarounds’ like bypass access among subscribers.

According to the information technology (IT) industry on the 9th, Netflix, which recently implemented paid account sharing, determines whether users live together based on activity information such as Wi-Fi networks and device Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

For example, smartphones and tablet devices of others on the same network as the TV used by the account owner are automatically recognized as part of the Netflix household. By exploiting this loophole, if users watch Netflix via Wi-Fi at the account owner’s home, they continue to be recognized as one household, allowing account sharing.

If users take such authenticated devices home and connect them to their own Wi-Fi, they are already recognized as the same household since authentication is complete, making it possible to share Netflix for free. Of course, at the time when re-authentication is required (about once a month), users must visit the account owner’s home each time, but this method helps avoid account sharing crackdowns and save additional costs.

Netflix announced on the 2nd of last month that it would implement paid account sharing in the domestic market and is gradually enforcing crackdowns. Previously, one premium account subscription allowed up to four users, but if multiple users who do not live in the same household want to use one account, they must pay an additional fee of 5,000 KRW per person per month. Premium account sharing is recognized for up to three additional users.

Other OTT services are also joining this trend due to rising labor costs and inflation. Earlier, Disney Plus raised its premium plan fee from 9,900 KRW to 13,900 KRW per month. YouTube significantly increased the price of ‘YouTube Premium,’ which allows ad-free video viewing, from 10,450 KRW to 14,900 KRW per month on the 8th, a 43% hike. The domestic OTT service TVING also raised its fees by about 20% starting this month.

As OTT service prices rise sharply, the industry has coined a new term combining streaming and inflation: ‘streamflation.’ As a result, users are looking for ways to reduce their fee burden even slightly, leading to increased use of illegal sites like ‘NunuTV,’ raising concerns about copyright infringement.

According to traffic analysis firm SimilarWeb, the number of visits to an illegal video site reached about 19.5 million in October, more than five times the previous month’s 3.5 million visits.

Experts point out the difficulty of cracking down on all illegal sites, noting that complete monitoring is impossible even with artificial intelligence (AI). They urged, “It is necessary to strengthen penalties for illegal sites and educate users that using such sites can cause significant harm.”