To fight against subscription sharing, Netflix is rolling out a new function allowing you to create a new account from an already existing profile. A “soft” way to encourage squatters to pay their own package…
As we know, times are tough for Netflix. If the streaming pioneer has long been on paid subscription video on demand (SVOD), the famous American service is losing momentum and subscribers worldwide – 1.2 million customers left in the first half of 2022… In addition to the fierce competition between the platforms of the giants today – Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, not to mention the new ones that land, such as Paramount+ or Universal+ –, Netflix suffers from an endemic problem, which is still growing with the inflation: account sharing. A practice which streaming enthusiasts are very fond of and which saves on the price of subscriptions, especially with the proliferation of SVOD and significant price increases – especially since Netflix is by far the most expensive! It can be whole families who share their account between their members – including those who do not live under the same roof – or friends who pool services – each paying a subscription to a different platform. Determined to go up the slope, Netflix is currently multiplying the techniques to find subscribers. And after the announcement of a cheaper formula financed by advertising, the platform is implementing a new function clearly intended to stem sharing: profile transfer to a new account!
Netflix profile transfer: an option to encourage account creation
As advertised in a statement, Netflix’s latest discovery allows you to transfer the content of a profile to a new account, when taking out a new subscription, and thus not to lose your recommendations, your viewing list, your history, your settings and game saves. This is only a copy, so the profile will not be deleted from the original account upon transfer. This option can be practical for many scenarios: a member who leaves the family home, a breakup, a move, a joint account that is going to be closed… But it is also and above all a way to encourage, casually , fans of account sharing to take out their own subscription.
The feature is rolling out globally, and users will be emailed when it becomes available. To transfer a profile, you must log in to the account, then go to the profile concerned. On the menu at the top right – the icon of the profile in question – you have to click on “Transfer a profile” and create your new account. Simple, fast and effective. But the announcement of this option just a few days after unveiling the new subscription with advertising is no coincidence, especially since Netflix plans to offer a special formula, with additional profiles, and Adobe – the inventor of the PDF and Photoshop – has developed a visibly very effective anti-sharing tool that could be of great interest to streaming platforms.