Frustration mounted even further yesterday when Netflix’s new policy banning password sharing across multiple addresses went into effect.
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“It bugs me! It’s been fine for a few years that we share our family account and it’s going to lock me out of home…” said Laurie Wilmot, a nursing student.
Yesterday, Netflix implemented its new policy.
The online content platform has decided to restrict access to its platform to residents of the same address.
Members of the same family or friends can therefore no longer share the platform subscription fees for free, as many of them have done.
According to the Academy of Digital Transformation at Laval University, half of Quebecers are subscribers to the American platform.
The straw that broke the camel
Though she says she’s frustrated by the change, Ms Wilmot has “made a deal” with her family: her mother will pay more so everyone has access to the Netflix account.
However, this is not the case for several other Quebecers interviewed by Le Journal. For them, the price-performance ratio is no longer so attractive and the decision of the digital juggernaut is a small straw.
“I sometimes lent the subscription to my grandnephew, who has less financial means, so he could watch the snowmen, but I won’t be able to do that anymore,” laments Sébastien Bouffard, a LaSalle County resident.
“I said to myself, ‘No, Netflix is over for me,'” cuts off the man who has unsubscribed.
evasion strategies
“It’s not worth paying for a year if you don’t watch every night,” says Binta D., a student.
The future optometrist shared her account with her cousin. For now, she won’t pay the extra $8 to keep accessing Netflix.
His strategy: subscribe for a month and then cancel again or find the series and films that interest him on other platforms or sites.
Philippe V. is of the same opinion. According to him, you can easily find Netflix content elsewhere.
He shares his account with his brother and will try to continue doing so with a scheme. If it’s too complicated, they will unsubscribe without much hesitation and stick with competing platforms.
When Netflix entered the Canadian market in 2010, you could subscribe for $7.99 per month with no restrictions on the number of users, devices, or addresses.
As the site’s popularity increased, the rates gradually increased as well.
Being a family with the same account, possibly at two or even three different addresses, now costs between $17 and $35.
With 230 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix generated revenue of no less than CA$42.5 billion last year. Its profits reached CAD$6 billion.
– In collaboration with Francis Halin
At the time of writing these lines, no complaints have been received by the responsible consumer protection agency in connection with this announcement.
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