Netflix bosses have warned that millions of people in the UK could soon be blocked from watching TV. The announcement comes as the streaming giant plans a huge shake-up in how people use its service.
Netflix has unveiled plans to bring in a feature that stops users from sharing passwords with others. Anybody caught out by the feature will be blocked from watching TV.
The company has already tested the feature in certain parts of the world, and now Netflix has confirmed it will be rolled out to the UK. The Express reports this "controversial" update will mean millions of users who watch content free of charge will now be asked to pay.
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But to make things easier, Netflix will offer an option to add "paid sharing" which is less than a full subscription - although over 100 million users will be affected by it. Confirming the news, Netflix said: "Later in Q1, we expect to start rolling out paid sharing more broadly. Today’s widespread account sharing (100M+ households) undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business."
Netflix bosses understand this change won't be a popular one and so they're trying to sweeten the deal by adding features such as easy ways to transfer profiles to a new account and being able to monitor devices using accounts.
"While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly," the streaming firm said." So we’ve worked hard to build additional new features that improve the Netflix experience, including the ability for members to review which devices are using their account and to transfer a profile to a new account.
"As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with. As is the case today, all members will be able to watch while traveling, whether on a TV or mobile device."
It's not yet known when the rules will come into force or which areas will be affected. As well as this change, Netflix also announced that more people are actually signing up to the streaming site despite expectations that the opposite would be true, says the Express Online.
The addition of new movies such as Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and the Harry & Meghan documentary appear to have encouraged over seven million people to subscribe. Things may have also been boosted by the new advert-supported plan that now makes watching content cost less. Basics with adverts costs £4.99 which is £2 cheaper than the standard Basics plan.
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