Netflix Gains Over 200,000 New Subscribers Thanks to Password Sharing Crackdown
Just been booted off someone's Netflix account after fees kicked in? Maybe you're one of the many new sign-ups for the streaming giant.
- 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 signed up hundreds of thousands of new subscribers since it started charging people extra if they have other users on their account.
That's according to stats from streaming data analyst Antenna, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. Right after those fees kicked in, Antenna says Netflix had "the four single largest days of US user acquisition" since Antenna started recording subscriptions on the streaming service four and a half years ago.
"Based on the most current data available, Netflix saw nearly 100,000 daily sign-ups on both May 26 and May 27," Antenna said in a post. "These exceed the spikes in sign-ups Antenna observed during the initial US COVID-19 lockdowns in March and April 2020."
Cancellations have also gone up since Netflix changed its policy on who you can have on your account, but not as much as new sign-ups.
Netflix said it doesn't comment on third-party research.
Read more: Crackdown on Netflix Password Sharing: What It Means for You
How much extra does Netflix password sharing cost?
Netflix introduced the extra charge for password sharing late last month, and it now costs you an additional $8 on top of your subscription fee to have someone not from your household using your account.
If you pay for Netflix's premium tier at $20 a month, you can add two more people to your account. If you're on the standard plan for $15.50, you can have only one extra member. The $10 basic plan doesn't allow for extra members, and if you're on Netflix's new ad-supported plan -- which already has 5 million subscribers -- and pay just $7 a month for the streaming service, you also can't add extra members.
Netflix with ads is missing some shows and movies, but on the other hand, ads don't play before everything, CNET's review of the service found.
What to do if you're booted off someone's Netflix
If you've been sharing someone else's account for the past few years, your run of letting them foot the bill for your streaming service may be over. If they've warned you they're planning to send you packing, one thing you can do is transfer your existing profile to a new membership you pay for yourself.
If you decide Netflix is no longer worth it, other streaming services, like 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.