Netflix Inc is testing features including one that will allow accounts to be shared outside members’ households at an extra cost, the streaming pioneer said on Wednesday, though the new fees won’t hit Canadian users yet.
The company is testing the features in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru allowing members on its standard and premium plans to add up to two people. The extra costs to add another person works out to roughly $2-3 US.
Netflix offers three tiers of pricing in Canada ranging from $9.99 per monthly for the basic package to $20.99 monthly for its premium service.
Customers in Canada — who already saw prices rise earlier this year — can currently watch shows and movies on additional devices at the same time, as well as access higher definition streams through both standard and premium tiers.
Netflix is also studying another feature that will allow members on a basic, standard or premium plan to transfer their profile information to a new account or a sub account retaining data such as viewing history and personalized recommendations.
The company currently allows people who live together to share their Netflix account. However, the plans have created some confusion about when and how accounts can be shared, the company said, adding it is impacting its ability to invest in new content.
The streaming provider said it would test the features for their utility before making changes in other parts of the world. There is no indication of when or if Canadian users will be transitioned to the new model.
Netflix in January tempered its growth expectations, projecting customer additions in the first-quarter at less than half of Wall Street’s expectations citing the late arrival of anticipated content.
— with files from Global News’s Craig Lord
