Netflix password sharing cost

As many know, and as we talked about a week ago, Netflix has changed its stance on password sharing over the last few years.

Well, they have kind of changed their stance. They used to promote password sharing. Now, they are saying don't share. Except where they are saying you can pay to share.

Confusing? Welcome to the world of streaming.

Streaming itself is a great thing. Companies trying to find ways to get every dollar they can from you is not so great. And now that is happening in streaming.

To the point of this post, Netflix has announced the pricing for password sharing. It's not available in the USA yet, so they would rather you not share. But it's coming, and the pricing is available.

Netflix has four plans:

• Basic with Ads ($7/month)
• Basic ($10/month)
• Standard ($16/month)
• Premium ($20/month)

The cost of password sharing? That will be $8/month. And, you must have the Standard ($16/month) or higher plan to get a sharing add-on.

It would be cheaper to buy the kinds a Basic with Ads account.

The password sharing is rolling out in select countries, not the USA, and offers some restrictions and options that will make a few people unhappy:

So over the last year, we’ve been exploring different approaches to address this issue in Latin America, and we’re now ready to roll them out more broadly in the coming months, starting today in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. Our focus has been on giving  members greater control over who can access their account.

• Set primary location: We’ll help members set this up, ensuring that anyone who lives in their household can use their Netflix account.
• Manage account access and devices: Members can now easily manage who has access to their account from our new Manage Access and Devices page.
• Transfer profile: People using an account can now easily transfer a profile to a new account, which they pay for — keeping their personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games and more.
• Watch while you travel: Members can still easily watch Netflix on their personal devices or log into a new TV, like at a hotel or holiday rental.
• Buy an extra member: Members on our Standard or Premium plan in many countries (including Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain) can add an extra member sub account for up to two people they don’t live with — each with a profile, personalized recommendations, login and password — for an extra CAD$7.99 a month per person in Canada, NZD$7.99 in New Zealand, Euro 3.99 in Portugal, and Euro 5.99 in Spain.

I see all kinds of problems with this, notably the fact that some ISPs will change your IP address, and even route you through different cities, fooling systems into thinking you are away from home, when you aren't. That will be a huge problem.

However, if you want to use Netflix after these changes roll out, you'll have these potential issues to address as part of your Streaming Life.