Is It Finally Time to Break Up With Netflix?
Amid a new crackdown on password-sharing, Netflix may no longer be our preferred platform for chill.
What started as a simple DVD rental distribution service evolved and expanded into the world’s most popular film and TV streaming service. Over 230 million subscribers worldwide associate the iconic “ta-dum” intro sound with buzzworthy content that has made its name on platforms ranging from Twitter and TikTok to red-carpet awards circuits. But the streaming giant has upset loyal followers with a slew of new restrictions aimed at curbing the practice of sharing accounts between people living in different households.
No more mooching off your ex’s account / Photo via The Guardian
The new rules will require all Netflix accounts to be associated with a primary location, and only those connected to the home network at this location will be able to access the account. For those who want to add users living outside the primary household, an extra charge of $7.99 per extra person will apply. Subscribers on the premium plan will be able to add up to two extra users, while those on the standard plan will only be allowed one. Users on the basic plans, meanwhile, cannot add extra members. It’s a massive blow to the millions of people who share Netflix accounts while living apart, including divorced families, long-distance couples, and university students living away from home.
Every problematic partner comes with endless justifications for their behaviour, locked and loaded for when you’re ready to leave. Netflix is no different, claiming significant losses due to password sharing across an estimated 100 million households, harming its “ability to invest in great new TV and films”. The restrictions, therefore, are in everyone’s best interest.
New streaming plans introduced in Canada and several other countries / Photo via Netflix
But are subscribers buying this reasoning? The introduction of the new rules has attracted outrage online, with many calling out the company for backtracking on its past support for password-sharing. Many have threatened to cancel their subscription and shift to another streaming service or even illegal streaming websites. For a while now, viewers have expressed frustration at Netflix’s frequent series cancellations and the increasingly heavy focus on original content at the expense of network favourites and recent cinema hits. These have also been cited as reasons for the steep drop in subscribers suffered by the company last year, and the new rules, while intended to increase the number of users who are also individual paying subscribers, may just send more people running for the hills.
This is, of course, to be expected. The new password restrictions are particularly hard on university students, many of whom do not live in the same household as the holder of the account they use to watch Netflix. Indeed, out-of-province and international students may have no choice but to bite the bullet and purchase a new subscription when they are locked out of the one they shared with family or friends back home. Add a tight student budget to the mix and it’s clear that to this subset of viewers, the new restrictions amount to more than just a lovers’ quarrel.
This tweet didn’t age well / Photo via Twitter
So is it time to see other people? Maybe—with streaming services growing in number and content, there have never been more fish in the sea to get your binge-watching fix. Many people are already playing the field, using multiple subscriptions to access the largest selection of movies and series. As new services appear and titles hop from one platform to the other, Netflix no longer has a monopoly over the eyeballs and bank accounts of viewers. Among its strongest competitors is Amazon’s Prime Video, home to The Lord of the Rings, The Vampire Diaries, as well as a number of originals among which Fleabag and The Boys are standouts. Prime Video is the guy who has probably been in this game the longest, and Netflix’s oldest rival. Still, stiffer competition may come from the hip new kids on the block. Launched in 2019, Disney+ boasts the entire entertainment catalogue from The Walt Disney Company. This includes content from Marvel—which alone would make the platform a force to be reckoned with—along with Pixar, National Geographic, and the Star Wars franchise. In Canada and most places outside the United States, Disney+ also offers adult-oriented content, including Fox titles such as American Horror Story and The Simpsons. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ is home to the critically-acclaimed workplace horror series Severance and 2022 Oscar winner CODA, while Crave is the Canadian home to HBO hits such as Game of Thrones, Euphoria, Succession, and more recently, The White Lotus. No matter your preferred genre, there are plenty of options, and Netflix’s new rules may be seen as a risky gamble in an increasingly-crowded market.
This could be us, says Crave, which holds popular HBO series such as Euphoria / Photo via IMDb
But perhaps it also suggests the streaming service is confident in its position at the top of the pack, the endgame love interest. There is no denying that Netflix’s original content has had the greatest collective cultural footprint. Think of the myriad memes spurred by Stranger Things, the viral dance from Wednesday, and the fixation on Squid Game. In 2020, the release of The Queen’s Gambit was linked to a massive surge in public interest in chess; in 2022, the same happened with Bridgerton and Regency era-influenced fashion and design. Among international offerings, the Spanish thriller series La casa de papel, also known in English as Money Heist, inspired political protests across the world with its themes of anti-authoritarianism and resistance. With a pop culture impact of these proportions, Netflix’s popularity may prove difficult to challenge.
Protesters in Lebanon don the red jumpsuits and Dalí masks worn by characters in Netflix’s Money Heist / Photo via The National
Perhaps anticipating pushback from the password rules, Netflix has been busy making modifications in the financial department, too. Recently, the company rolled out its plans to offer new streaming plans that will include ads for a lower monthly cost. The move is no doubt aimed at enticing a new set of customers who may finally decide to shell out the reduced price in exchange for access to the platform’s varied and perpetually-trending selection of content. Netflix knows some subscribers may call it quits, and it’s already on the market for others that may swipe right.
Whether this move by the streaming service will pay off remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it’s clear that the relationship between Netflix and its subscribers is not what it once was, and even the most die-hard You fans may find this romance getting a little too toxic for their taste. The abundance of alternatives may also drive viewers into the arms of another, an option that never looked better. But as in any turbulent affair worth its drama, a long-awaited new season or hot new film could always lead to a moment of weakness—sending us running back for another “ta-dum”.
