Netflix Added 7.6M Accounts in Past Six Months Amid Password-Sharing Crackdown
Charges for sharing passwords were introduced in the US in May.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Netflix has added over 7.6 million paid memberships globally in the six months ended June 30, the streaming giant said Wednesday in its earnings report.
The additions came from 1.275 million new accounts in the US and Canada, just over 3 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 767,000 in Latin America, and 2.523 million in Asia-Pacific.
Netflix began racking up hundreds of thousands of new subscribers soon after it started charging people extra if they have other users on their account in the US. Netflix began testing password-sharing fees in Latin America last year, then brought the fees to Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain in February and the US, the UK and Australia in late May.
The password-sharing crackdown appears to have had a significant impact in the US and Canada. In the three months from January to March, Netflix gained only 102,000 new accounts. But between April and June -- the extra charge was introduced in May -- Netflix saw 1.173 million new accounts added.
Read more: Crackdown on Netflix Password Sharing: What It Means for You
Netflix on Wednesday also announced it's ending the cheapest subscription for new signups, removing its basic ad-free option in the US and the UK unless you already have it. Netflix phased out the ad-free version in Canada last month.
The only options on the US Netflix site are now: Standard with Ads ($7), Standard ($15.50) and Premium ($20). It also now costs you an additional $8 in the US on top of your subscription fee to have someone not from your household using your account.
Other streaming services such as Max, Disney Plus, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video don't currently have an extra charge for password sharing.
For more on streaming, here are CNET's tips on how to pay less for your streaming service, and here are our picks for the best streaming services of 2023 and the best live TV streaming services if you want to get rid of cable.