Netflix plans to charge accounts shared outside household

It's not good news for shared accounts.

Netflix is planning to charge extra for accounts shared between households.

In a statement released on its website, the streaming giant claimed the move is to “enable members who share outside their household to do so easily and securely.”

But then comes the crucial detail – “while also paying a bit more.”

“We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans,” Netflix said.

“While these have been hugely popular, they have also created 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.”

So, how much will this cost?

For now, Netflix is trialling its “new features” in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, so it isn’t yet clear how much this could set back UK subscribers each month.

Converting each of those currencies into pound sterling, however, could give some idea of what viewers can expect.

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In Chile and Costa Rica, it’s around £2.26 extra. But in Peru, it costs £1.61.

This does not mean these charges will apply to the UK at the same rate, however.

Last year, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings is reported to have played down concerns over a crackdown on password-sharing during an earnings call.

What are these ‘new features’?

There are two new features Netflix wants to roll out to cut down on password sharing between households.

One way is to add an extra member, which gives subscribers on standard and premium plans that chance to add up to two people as sub-accounts.

These extra accounts will incur the charge outlined above.

Another way is to transfer a profile to a new account. This would mean someone using another’s password for their subscription could move their profile to their own account while keeping their viewing history and favourites.

Creating a new account, however, is the more expensive option.