Netflix

Official: Netflix will crack down on password sharing in the US in the next two months

Ben Schoon | Apr 18 2023 - 2:12 pm PT

It’s finally time. Netflix has confirmed it will start cracking down on password sharing in the United States imminently.

Over the past few months, Netflix hasn’t been shy about its plans to crack down on the password sharing that it spent years encouraging. The company has been building out ways to block users from sharing their accounts with those in other households, as well as testing ways to charge for the ability to share your account with others. But thus far, most of those changes have not been applied to subscribers located in the United States.

Today, Netflix has officially confirmed that it will start a “broad rollout” of these measures, including the United States, starting in “Q2” of this year. Both CordCuttersNews and The Streamable noted the confirmation in a letter to Netflix shareholders sent out today.

In Q1, we launched paid sharing in four countries and are pleased with the results. We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the U.S., in Q2.

Q2 started this month and runs through June, meaning that Netflix’s password-sharing rules could take effect in the US at basically any time over the next two months or so.

When these new rules kick in, Netflix subscribers can expect to be required to set a “primary location” for their account as well as the ability to create an extra member on their account for someone living at a separate address.

Meanwhile, Netflix also officially pulled the plug on its mail-in DVD service, the offering that launched the company well before streaming took hold, as our colleagues at 9to5Mac report. Additionally, Netflix is adding 1080p streaming to its ad-supported plan, up from the previous 720p limit.