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Netflix hints at password sharing crackdown as subscribers fall
- dwighttk 4y agoAlso hinted at ad supported tier. Probably roll those out together Then get acquired within a decade.
- endre 4y agoNetflix hints at .. fall
- usrn 4y agoI'm sure they'll hint at it but if they're doing it then they're truly desperate. Certainly they know better than most that people willing to tolerate sharing an account aren't going to pay for a subscription when they get kicked off.
- andoli 4y agoyep can confirm. Not gonna pay 15 bucks/mo or whatever, and most of my "household" isn't gonna either ;)
- papito 4y agoIt's the equivalent of a politician blaming the press when things go south. Maybe stop wasting the military budget of a medium-sized country on poorly-curated content.
- ejb999 4y agothe content really has gotten pitiful; I use netflix, hulu, hbomax and amazon prime (and honestly mostly watch free content on youtube) - netflix is my last choice when trying to find something to watch - and yes, I share the account with my adult children. If they crack down on sharing, count me in as another lost subscriber - seems they are biting the hands that feeds them with this move - reeks of desperation.
- philliphaydon 4y agoWith our family we use Netflix > Disney+ > Prime Video > Apple TV. (I dont have a Taiwan CC for HBO, and Hulu isn't available outside of the US)
- uxcolumbo 4y agoFor me, Netflix needs higher quality content. More creative risky shows like the OA, Altered Carbon, Love, Death & Robots, Black Mirror and more old HBO style content… quality vs factory cookie cutter produced stuff trying to satisfy the lowest common denominator, because then you will satisfy no one. Maybe they have good shows I just don't know about. Their recommendation system seems to be crap. I browse for 20 minutes and then give up frustrated, because I can't find anything interesting. Today I was looking to downgrade my plan. Basic only gives you SD quality, which I'm OK with but only allowing one device at a time is taking the p!ss. It's getting too expensive for what it is. So rather than downgrading I'm now thinking about cancelling. If their Basic plan would support 2 concurrent devices then I'd stay. Well done Netflix.
- distances 4y ago> Maybe they have good shows I just don't know about. Their recommendation system seems to be crap. I browse for 20 minutes and then give up frustrated, because I can't find anything interesting. I have the exact same experience. I've been using Netflix for years and years so they should now know pretty darn well what I like. I wanted to start a new series but couldn't find anything that isn't basically junk rated. Next step I subscribed to Disney+.
- blub 4y agoIf they continue to exercise their “creativity” like they did in Altered Carbon 2 and Witcher 2, they might as well not bother.
- mr90210 4y agoI’ve switched to HBO MAX at 6 euros / month. I am happy for now.
- weeeeelp 4y ago+1, some good stuff over there, all the HBO classics and new movies are available quite soon after release - watched the new Batman yesterday, about to rewatch The Wire. Also the new platform is really improved in terms of usability, it the old HBO GO service which HBO MAX replaced was really bad with buffering and "adaptive" quality which somehow was always 480p for me. Now it's crisp and nice.
- candiddevmike 4y agoIt will be interesting to watch Netflix pivot from a media company to an ad tech company. Maybe Netflix will do a documentary on it.
- flipbrad 4y agoThey put the UK prices up on a family account up from £12 to £14 in March 2021, and now again to £16, from next month. I.e. 30% over 14 months. In the interim content I appreciate has got ever scarcer - when it comes to that, I'm willing to be patient, a little, on account of Covid-caused production delays - but coupled with incredible price rises and complications for other users on this account? And everlasting UI headaches (having to hunt for something just to resume watching it; difficulty hiding recommendations I don't appreciate)? Forget it.
- greatpatton 4y agoDon't complain in Switzerland we have the most expensive price (24.9CHF or about 26.7$) and we have the smallest catalog and no local content...
- WelcomeShorty 4y agoStill we pay bottom "yearly cost in relation to GDP per Capita" Source https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/countries-netflix-cost/ https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/countries-netfl...
- boesboes 4y agoSounds like a great way to reduce subscribers even quicker!
- AndrewOMartin 4y agoYeah, I'm getting "the whippings will continue until morale improves" vibes from this.
- jdrc 4y agoall the subscription-based and Saas ecosystem about to crumble as inflation around the world demands that people cut back on spending. We shoudn't have let google+fb steal the entire advertising pie for themselves
- foepys 4y ago> The streaming giant estimates more than 100 million households are breaking its rules by sharing passwords. Someone elsewhere rephrased this as "Netflix estimates that 100 million households don't think Netflix is worth its price." which I think is very apt.
- hhmc 4y agoIt's not clear your logic actually follows, presumably some fraction of those 100M would pay if sharing passwords wasn't an option.
- foepys 4y agoBut how many people will stop paying because they only keep it for their parents, partners, or friends? This could easily result in less subscribers. If Netflix were so sure about the benefits of blocking password sharing, they could've done this years ago. Arguably many people subscribe to the comparatively very expensive UHD plan because they can share passwords with up to 3 people.
- bluehatbrit 4y agoI imagine you're probably right but I don't think it'll be the case for me. I upgraded because my parents and in-laws were using it on occation so I needed more concurrent streams on my package. If they crack down, I'll downgrade immediately and I doubt my parents and in-laws would want to start paying for it, they only use it on rare occasations it just so happens that tended to cross over with me and my wife who are heavy users. I think they'd probably get a net loss from me and my family if they cracked down.
- t_sawyer 4y agoUm… I pay for screens. As long as my account is within that screen limit it shouldn’t matter who is using it.
- OJFord 4y agoExactly! This has been talked about for a while now, and I've never seen an explanation of what 'the rules' actually are - it's implied that it's supposed to be per 'household' (but obviously travelling is allowed) but then it says some of this is 'legitimate' being between 'family members'; so two related households are fine? Honestly, it should just be that it's limited to people you're comfortable sharing the password with (total control of the account!) and the number of screens on your plan, as it is. I used to share with family and upgraded the plan when we used it more and found two concurrent streams wasn't enough.
- AshamedCaptain 4y agoYou really pay for nothing. They could remove all the content you are interested in overnight and you'd have absolutely no recourse other than stop paying next month.
- pmoriarty 4y agoNetflix streaming has such absolute garbage movie selection compared to Netflix DVD service, Amazon Prime Video, and Youtube. I don't understand why that is. With all their wealth they should be able to at least compete on movie selection with the other major streaming services. But instead they are many times worse.
- lancesells 4y agoBecause the owners of those movies now have their own streaming services. Netflix can't stream what they don't own or are able to license. Amazon now owns MGM so that means over time the majority of MGM movies will only be on Prime.
- pmoriarty 4y agoWhat about FOX, Universal Studios, and all the other studios out there? MGM is just one of many. It also doesn't explain why YouTube has a magnificent movie selection compared to NetFlix streaming. If your theory was correct then Amazon would be the only one with a great selection, but it's not. NetFlix's DVD service is also fantastic. It's just their streaming service which sucks.
- lancesells 4y agoFox is Disney. Universal is Peacock. My only opinion on YouTube having a great selection would be they have Google money and / or they aren't counted as competition just yet.
- neximo64 4y agoAmongst the streaming services I use which is a couple, Netflix has objectively the lowest quality content apart from a few they really put effort into for ex Seinfeld Just not sure if its worth it if it wasn't shared a bit
- incomingpain 4y agoThey have more competitors than ever before. They raised prices. They planned to crackdown on their subs. They do crackdown on vpns. They haven't made the 'black ukrainian falling in love with trans russian soldier' movie yet. Netflix is going to lose a ton more subs until they make that movie.
- parkingrift 4y agoStreaming companies just can’t help themselves. There’s Disney+, Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount+, Hulu, ESPN+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, and I think Peacock (for now?). The industry self-own is hilarious. It’s easier to just pirate or rent than deal with this many random services. And Netflix just keeps dumping out algorithmically generated focus grouped content. There is plenty of good content on Netflix but not enough to justify a monthly costs. Most of what I actually want to watch is spread out across a dozen different services. And now Netflix wants to try and kill one of the last things that kept me as a customer. If I share the account I can stomach the costs. If I have to pay for the full account by myself, I’m canceling. Perhaps Netflix should focus on partnerships and bundles. Ads, any ads at all, is an instant dealbreaker for me.
- BaculumMeumEst 4y agoI'm not sure I understand how you think this is an "industry self-own", or why you find it hilarious. Presumably, these companies are taking this approach because they realized they stand to make more money by creating their own streaming service and leveraging their catalogs than outsourcing them. Those that stay in business are presumably making quite a lot of money. The only people getting "owned" here are consumers.
- zinekeller 4y agoAs you pointed out, consumers will feel the brunt at first, but when there's another economic event that tighten everyone's wallet, then some of those consumers, little-by-little, will return to piracy permanently, unless there's a single service to go to (basically music streaming now).
- Freak_NL 4y agoIt's clever too. There are some more tech-minded and risk-aware folk who can turn to copyright infringement via torrents, but those are a negligible minority. The days of widespread 'piracy' practices by every next household are long gone. There are some who can manage cleverly hopping from subscription to subscription to get varying content (three months Netflix, then three months Disney+, etc.), but those too are too few for the streaming companies to care about. For now the bulk of their customers will pick one or more services, and subscribe for longer periods (years often). And unlike cable, people don't pay a huge lump sum each month, but an increasing number of small-ish fees each small enough not to be too critically evaluated by subscribers when reviewing their home finances. It will probably stay like this for quite a while. A shame. I really would have liked a way to fairly pay for any content at all via a single subscription.
- lemoncookiechip 4y agoThey're losing subscribers, because of multiple reasons, most of which are their own fault: - Subscription prices keep rising, and they were already very high. - Libraries decreasing as they lose the licensing to other streaming services. - Originals are hit and miss, mostly miss, and get cancelled constantly after 1 season. - Crackdown on VPN and password sharing. - COVID lockdowns are mostly over in Europe, US and Canada. -Libraries outside the US are a fraction of the size of the US library, some legitimately have less than 10% of its content, while asking for the same amount of money. - More competition than ever, and it's only growing. Increasing the sub prices and cracking down further, isn't going to bring in more customers on an already diluted competitive market. Also on the password sharing specifically. We pay for 2 or 4 simultaneous streams on Netflix. It doesn't matter if I'm at home streaming, while someone 15min away from me is also streaming it on the same account. I paid you for the connections, you shouldn't tell me who can use them or from where.
- mschuster91 4y ago> Originals are hit and miss, mostly miss, and get cancelled constantly after 1 season. The latter thing is precisely what causes the most "misses". Hard to get invested even despite minor issues when you know it will get cancelled anyway. Also means no one will produce or buy merch aside from coffee mugs, further cutting into profits. > Libraries outside the US are a fraction of the size of the US library, some legitimately have less than 10% of its content, while asking for the same amount of money. I believe that only mandatory licensing laws will solve that issue. Particularly Disney... it's time someone finally steps in and either breaks them up or forces them to license their content to competitors. The level of control this company has over the most popular/profitable entertainment brands (MCU, Star Wars, Avatar) is just insane - they own everything from the core IP over studios to distribution, and I would not be surprised at all if they'll announce to buy up AMC and other regional cinema chains.
- scarface74 4y agoI wonder how many people on HN would be okay if the government forced open software to be licensed for use in a way that was contrary to the way that authors wanted? Would regulation also set prices for how much license holders can charge? Should the latest Marvel movie be licensed for the same amount as an indy film?
- cptaj 4y agoLosing subscribers? How about we crack down on users and raise prices! Genius
- thevagrant 4y agoHonestly, I share with my Mom but she would never pay for her own account anyway. I don't use Netflix much myself so I'd probably cancel if my mom can't use it.
- Freak_NL 4y agoIt sounds like you might as well just gift your mother a subscription and not use one yourself.
- Proven 4y ago
- sslayer 4y agoAnyone else tired of the greedy cash grabs? If they haven't figured out a sustainable model to run their business without punishing the consumer of media, I no longer want to be their end product.
- 0xbadc0de5 4y agoAlready downgraded my Netflix account this year because the quality and selection has fallen off a cliff. Next step will be to cancel it outright. It's becoming increasingly clear which direction Netflix is headed and it's not a good one.
- JaggerJo 4y agoI share a Netflix account with 3 other people. We’re on the biggest plan. Would not even consider subscribing if I had to pay it alone. Sharing keeps me subscribed. Often I don’t watch something on Netflix for weeks - but cause I only pay 1/4 I don’t mind.
- Cthulhu_ 4y agoSame; we're only holding out for some upcoming seasons of shows we follow (I think Stranger Things is a subscription seller for them, for example), the rest... I only hold onto the account because my parents have it on their TV and ipads and make frequent use of it, and a friend makes occasional use of it as well. Meanwhile, we use someone else's Amazon Prime and Disney+ account. I think Amazon already cracked down on things a bit because most content just says it's not available in my region (while still offering it for rent). Disney+ isn't being difficult yet because they know they have a good chance of becoming the biggest streaming platform. Given how Netflix' stock price took a hit, I wouldn't be surprised if they get bought up by Disney in a few years.
- 3333333331 4y agoOne of the things that goes unmentioned in these articles is the absolutely horrible UX in the app--why does every movie I consider have to start playing at 110dB as soon as I browse to it? I have to steel myself to open the AppleTV app (or mute my TV) to browse through their collection. Then there's the horrid algorithmically-generated posters for each movie...
- nfRfqX5n 4y agoNetflix UX is not perfect but it’s probably the best in the business
- gwd 4y agoYeah, I thought browsing / discoverability on Netflix was terrible until I tried to use Apple TV+; just like I thought the UI on Apple's Music app was terrible until I tried to use Spotify. Why do modern media companies seem to try to compete for the interface which makes it hardest to find and consume their media?
- nervousvarun 4y agoIt's unbelievably terrible. But the default behavior can be changed. https://techwiser.com/how-to-turn-off-autoplay-on-netflix/ https://techwiser.com/how-to-turn-off-autoplay-on-netflix/
- dirtyid 4y agoToo many cancelled shows. How many netflix shows makes it past 3 seasons or lucky enough to conclude definitively in recent years? Maybe try adopting 16 episode mini-series format like Korean TV. Incidentally the one segment my friends hold onto Netflix for.
- Beltiras 4y agoThe moment this touches my subscriber experience I am resigning. I currently buy the 2 screen subscription and live in 2 places in the world. The convenience of not having to manage my media is what makes Netflix worth it. As soon as it won't, it isn't.
- merricksb 4y agoCovered directly or indirectly in these articles in the past 24 hours: Netflix loses subscribers for the first time in 10+ years (cnbc.com) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31088353 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31088353 - 218 points - 16 hours ago – 333 comments Netflix Officially Adding Commercials (popculture.com) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31092126 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31092126 - 54 points - 10 hours ago - 50 comments Netflix shares drop 26% after it loses 200K subscribers (apnews.com) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31089802 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31089802 - 44 points - 14 hours ago - 25 comments
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- nfRfqX5n 4y agoThey A/B test everything so if they do this (highly doubt they will) it likely works
- fishbacon 4y agoRecent subscription price increase with no noticeable increase in content quality or availability, I am in Denmark, makes me reconsider my netflix subscription. Although I do need to watch Better Call Saul so they have me for that long. Probably not related to password sharing at all and I do not think it is likely to increase subscriptions. I will probably never pirate again, but I am considering getting out of streaming services and just put the money towards patreons of internet creators I like instead.
- eadmund 4y agoThey probably have better data on why they are losing subscribers than I do, and presumably they can see things like an IP address used by one subscription, then that subscription being cancelled, then the same IP address being used by a different subscription. But … I have subscribed to Netflix for nearly twenty years, since it was a DVD delivery service, and I am very close to cancelling my subscription because they simply don't deliver good content. The presence of the red N in the corner of a video is a signal that the show or movie is probably garbage, and almost everything has that red N; the stuff that doesn't is typically middle- or lowbrow filler content. Now, part of that is not Netflix's fault: there is a paucity of stuff worth watching in 2022 compared to decades past. There is no Parks & Rec, no Office, no Castle, no Monk, no Psych, no Bones, no light-hearted, innocent fun. At least, none that I have seen. For Pete's sake, we live in an era which managed to ruin Star Wars! Still, their Netflix original content could be much better than it is; it is still for the most part bargain-basement stuff. Why subscribe to Netflix when I can read a book instead?
- krull10 4y agoLight hearted fun: Upload (Amazon), Space Force (Netflix), Mr. Mayor (NBC). All involve Parks and Rec, Office and 30 Rock creators.
- T3RMINATED 4y ago
- dcchambers 4y agoI wouldn't be surprised if more people are starting to rotate between streaming services. All of my favorite content that used to be on Netflix is now split between several services (Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney+). At one point I paid for all of them, but I found myself only having the time to use 1-2 per month. Some I wouldn't touch for months but was still paying for. Now I pay for 2 services/month, watch something new, and then the next month rotate my subs to something else. Keeps the content fresh and price down. They're simply too expensive for what you get unless you have 10 hours a day to watch TV/movies and you like everything on the platform. I was tired of throwing away money.
- xdfgh1112 4y agoInevitably that will lead to cable style 24 month contracts.
- dcchambers 4y agoLogically, yes. But I don't see that ever working again. At most they may offer "discounts" for people that lock into long term commitments (ie prepay for a year for small discount, like what many SaaS companies already do), but no consumer is ever going to put up with that type of contract again. If they try it, I'm gone.
- krnlpnc 4y agoThe decisions these execs are making are clearly idiotic, even to the layman. They are trying to extract maximum shareholder value, when they really need to leave their magic money making machine alone.
- colburnmh 4y agoThis isn't going to result in a huge increase in Netflix subscribers. The reason that people share passwords is because somebody wants access but doesn't want to pay. Eliminate the password sharing is a reasonable business action from Netflix so that they are not providing additional infrastructure demands to support non-paying customers. But I would suspect that only 10-20% of those people sharing passwords will result in new subscriptions if they find ways to accurately block them. The rest will just abandon the platform, because it was never something that they were willing to pay for in the first place.
- michaelmior 4y agoWould be nice if Netflix had an easy way to migrate profiles between accounts. People move and situations change. Some might consider a new account if it were possible to migrate a profile.
- hacksy 4y agoNetflix is testing the extra family member at 2$ more per month over here in Peru and they do have a feature to migrate a profile to a new account.