Ever since Netflix’s streaming subscription has existed, users have shared accounts and passwords to get a little more bang for their buck. But whether you’re using your sibling’s, your best friend’s, or your ex’s account — or letting them use yours — spreading your password around is going to get a little pricier. Netflix announced in their Q3 shareholder letter on Oct. 18 that they’re finally going to start charging for sharing accounts. According to the letter, they’ll start rolling the change out in 2023.
Netflix already rolled out this change in a pilot program in Latin America. For each additional profile on an account that Netflix decides doesn’t live with you, they’ll charge a few extra dollars. They haven’t announced the exact pricing yet, but based on what they’ve done in Latin America, it should be about $3 or $4 more per month. Netflix is also making an option to transfer your sub account profile to a brand new account, that way you don’t lose your own favorites and viewing history if you decide to start paying your own way.
But it’s not all bad news. Netflix is also going to roll out an ad-supported tier that will cost $6.99 per month in the US, compared to $9.99 for the regular version. Commercials will be capped at around five minutes per hour, so if you don’t mind watching ads in between your favorite shows, it could be a good option to save a little cash. The new option will be available in the US on Nov. 3.
Netflix also said that they added 2.4 million subscribers in the third quarter of the year, according to the New York Times. That’s after the service lost subscribers in the first two quarters. Netflix says in their report that the growth was buoyed by major releases like “Stranger Things,” “The Gray Man,” and “Purple Hearts.” The company is hoping to add more subscribers with their ad-supported tier.
Starting in November, Netflix US will have four price points. Basic with ads will be $6.99 a month. Viewing will be limited to one screen and some movies and TV titles will not be available. Basic is $9.99 a month and is also limited to one screen, but there’s no limits to any of the content, and users can download content to one device. Standard is $15.49 a month, supports two screens at the same time, and ups the picture quality to Full HD. Users can also download videos on two devices. And a Premium subscription is $19.99 a month, supports four screens, streams in Ultra HD, and lets users download to four devices.