Online streaming giants Netflix on Wednesday outlined its long-awaited password-sharing guidelines, as it started first with users in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain, marking the latest step in the company’s telegraphed crackdown.
The streaming company said users in those countries will be asked to set a “primary location” for their Netflix accounts.
They can establish two “sub accounts” for users who don’t live in that home-base household, for a monthly fee per extra user.
The company’s director of product innovation Chengyi Long said “Today, over 100 million households are sharing accounts impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films”.
Netflix is testing its password-sharing restrictions outside of the US before rolling them out domestically in March. The price in Canada could forecast what it will ultimately charge in the program’s US debut.
The company announced last fall that it would limit password sharing with the stalling of subscriber growth in its US and Canada region.
Writing by Tersoo Nicholas