Alex Becker
Netflix is shooting themselves in the foot. Maybe even the head.
The streaming superpower announced today that they have begun a crackdown on password sharing. Netflix will no longer allow accounts to be shared by those at different addresses and will now charge an additional $7.99 per month for an extra user.
Netflix describes illegal password sharing as anyone using an account that is outside of the account holder’s “household.” They suggest that while they don’t use GPS tracking to check precise location of where users are signing on from, they do utilize IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to determine whether a device is part of someone’s household.
I think it’s safe to say that this change is going to piss a ton of people off. For one, what about college kids? Do they expect me to pay an additional $96 a year (quick maths) just because I don’t technically live with my parents? That’s crazy talk.
Back in April, Netflix revealed that it had lost subscribers for the first time ever due to raising prices. Now they estimate that over 100 million people access Netflix through password sharing and think the best plan of action is to eliminate sharing so that those 100 million people will get new accounts. Guess what Netflix, that’s not happening. This is just going to make more people unsubscribe.
Families that were once one household and have since spread apart due to things like college and work are not going to put up with this change. Broke college kids aren’t going to start paying for their own Netflix just because they no longer live with their parents. We will use VPNs, freemovies123.net, and all other streaming services before we even think about giving those greedy Netflixers another cent.
If you Netflix really wants to make some more money they should start producing better content. Netflix used to produce quality content, but everything half decent is either over or heading into its final season (The Crown, Bojack Horseman, Money Heist, Stranger Things, I could go). All the recent stuff Netflix makes is garbage. Wednesday is probably the biggest release in recent months and that was a garbage fire. Netflix movies are getting to be just as cheesy as Hallmark Christmas movies. And they still haven’t cracked the code on America’s favorite genre: reality TV. Instead, they’ve added games. Who the hell is playing games on Netflix? Absolutely no one.
Netflix’s CEO even came out earlier this year and said that they focus more on quantity than quality (that’s true, google it). You gotta see how that’s a bad business plan. And even if you don’t, you gotta be smart enough to not tell all of your customers that. Clearly Netflix executives aren’t smart considering this disastrous decision they’ve decided to make.
I genuinely believe the only good thing left on Netflix is I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, which premieres its third season on Tuesday, May 30th. I will watch the whole season in a day and then cancel my subscription.
So, to Netflix, please reconsider your actions. I promise you this will not go well for you. HULU, Amazon, Apple, HBO, and so many more streaming services exist. You don’t have the hold on America you think you do. Your options are clear, either stop this witch hunt or make better content. The choice is yours. I’m sure you’ll mess it up.
