Passions: Netflix got no chill?

As Netflix starts charging for password sharing, one user who pays for multiple accounts, and another who refuses to, argue

“Compare the additional Netflix cost to a family movie outing!”

Netflix will start charging accounts for password sharing, adding fees for “extra member” subaccounts

By Megha Marwah

Megha says, “My mother has a profile on my account as it’s easier to resolve issues about the account if it’s linked to my ids.”

My first Netflix account came from my cousin. She kicked me out a year later because she got a joint account with her now-husband. It was a pain to build up my preferences again from scratch.

I don’t want to go through that pain again. Neither do I want my mother or my best friend (in Canada), who I share my account with, to go through the same.

My mother has a separate profile on my account because it’s easier to resolve issues about the account payment etc, if it’s linked to my number and email ID.

My best friend has offered to pay, and maybe we can alternate months, but I know that’ll get too hectic. But, I use her Amazon Prime account, so it’s fair that I pay for her account on Netflix. Since we have similar viewing interests, it’s easier for me to get suggestions according to what she’s watching! No, it’s not an invasion of privacy. This isn’t her phone. Just a Netflix account. Besides, she uses my account to watch Indian content.

Yeah, Netflix’s move to charge people who share passwords means additional monthly expenditure. But, given how much we use these OTT accounts, I think it’s about time. Honestly, it’s worth it. Just compare it to how much a family movie outing would cost!

Megha Marwah, 32, is a marketing professional, who is binge-watching The Watcher and the new season of The Crown.

“I am not paying extra for no value addition”

By Soham Mukherjee

Soham says, “For a tech company so big, the focus on revenue through pricing and experimental tactics instead of core strengths is deplorable”

Netflix showed us how content is king by burning millions to provide its viewers triple A rated shows and direct to video movies, thus cashing in on a first mover advantage and almost establishing a monopoly.

But the streaming service also makes it clear that paying customers who pay less matter the least by making its differentiated pricing model mandatory in Latin American countries, where subscription fees are lowest. For a tech company so big, the focus on revenue through pricing and experimental tactics instead of core strengths is deplorable. So, sorry, I am not paying extra for no value add.

Paying customers are the best unit measure for validation. They shouldn’t be subject to wanton experimentation. Netflix’s move to charge customers based on password sharing lacks a clear definition of how it makes this distinction. Its original subscription plan was based on the family/household system. And today’s families sometimes live in different places.

From a policy perspective, any infrastructural change should be planned with an option for existing customers to opt out or complete 6-12 months of service, after which the change may be made mandatory. This not only avoids consumer angst but enables transparency, so clear metrics may drive change in the future instead of a monopolistic diktat.

With this move, Netflix may be engineering its own demise.

Soham Mukherjee, 32, is the head of technology at Aetos Digilog, who currently shares his account with his immediate famiy.

From HT Brunch, November 26, 2022

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