In Sweden, each Netflix account is linked to a household where it is allowed to create five different profiles. Netflix defines a household as someone who lives together, but it is common for friends and acquaintances to share accounts or for out-of-town children to look at their parents’ accounts – something the streaming giant now wants to put an end to.
Users are now prompted to take control of their accounts and transfer the non-household profile to a new subscription. Alternatively, you can buy an extra member outside the household for an additional SEK 49 per month, the company writes in one press release.
In other countries, Netflix has asked users to confirm their identity using text messages. What measures Netflix Sweden must take to check that the rules are followed is not something that the company’s Swedish representative can answer at the moment.
Netflix has 223 million subscribers worldwide, but the company itself expects another 100 million people to take part in the channel’s content. Previously, the streaming giant throttled the ability to share passwords for free with people other than immediate family in South America, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain.