The streaming video pioneer has been looking for new ways to
make money as it faces signs of market saturation, with efforts including
limits on password borrowing and a new ad-supported option.
Netflix on Tuesday said it was sending emails about account
sharing to customers in 103 countries and territories, including the United
States, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Mexico and Brazil.
The emails state that a Netflix account should only be used
in one household. Paying customers can add a member outside of their homes for
an additional fee. In the United States, the fee is $8 per month.
Members can also transfer a person's profile so the user can
keep their viewing history and recommendations.
Netflix last year said it was going to limit account sharing
and was testing various approaches in some markets.
The company had estimated that more than 100 million
households had supplied their log-in credentials to friends and family outside
their homes. As of the end of March, Netflix's paying customers totaled 232.5
million globally.
Under the new policies, people within the same household can
continue sharing a Netflix account and can use it on various devices when
travelling, the company said. © Reuters