Netflix is adding member and profile-transfer features to four new international markets as part of an expansion of its password sharing crackdown on an estimated 100 million households.
Standard and premium plan subscribers in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain will now be able to add an extra member sub account for people they don’t live with — each with a profile, personalized recommendations, login and password, according to a blog post on Wednesday.
Netflix’s premium plan will allow up to two sub accounts, while the standard plan will allow one sub account. The extra member feature will charge a fee of CAD$7.99 a month per person in Canada, NZD$7.99 in New Zealand, 3.99 euros in Portugal, and 5.99 euros in Spain.
In March, Netflix began testing the extra member feature in Latin America, charging users 2,380 CLP in Chile, $2.99 in Costa Rica and 7.9 PEN in Peru. In August, it also unveiled an “add a home” option, which asked users to pay an extra monthly fee if they stream through a TV or TV-connected device located outside a primary household. The fee was 219 pesos per month in Argentina and $2.99 per month in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
The latest announcement comes after an update to Netflix’s Help Center sparked confusion around how the password sharing crackdown would be enforced.
The update, which has since been deleted, said that users would be required to connect to wi-fi at their primary location and stream content at least once every 31 days on their TV, app or web browser to establish them as “trusted devices.” The system would scan for IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to verify if a device was signed into a Netflix account within a designated primary location.
Additionally, the update noted that account holders signing on from a business device or hotel smart TV would be able to receive a temporary code from the streamer that grants access for a full week.
Wednesday’s blog post emphasized that members will be able to easily watch Netflix while they travel through their personal devices and when they log into a new TV at a hotel or holiday rental.
“We value our members and recognize that they have many entertainment choices. A Netflix account is intended for one household and members can choose from a range of plans with different features,” Netflix’s director of product innovation Chengyi Long said in a statement. “As always, we’ll refine these new features based on member feedback so that we continue to improve Netflix in the years ahead.”
In addition to the sub accounts, premium plan households can have up to four simultaneous streams, five profiles and six download devices, while standard households can have two simultaneous streams, five profiles and two download devices.
Meanwhile, households on the Basic and Basic with Ads plans can have up to five profiles and one simultaneous stream. The ad-free basic plan also allows for one download device. The sub accounts are not available on either basic plan.
