As we told you then, In March, Netflix began testing a new system to combat shared passwords, a pilot program launched in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, which would allow non – resident users to pay a reduced fee in order to use the service. According to Netflix, this feature would also allow users to maintain segregated profiles, thus providing greater autonomy and privacy.

The Netflix sub-accounts price in this testing program is 380 pesos (2.70 euros) in Chile, $ 2.99 in Costa Rica and 7.9 sols (1.92 euros) in Peru, compared to 5,940 pesos in Chile, 8, $ 99 in Costa Rica and $ 24.90 in Peru on the main account. Undoubtedly it is quite cheap variant However, it would not reap the success that the company should expect, as we can read in Business Insider.

And that’s how they tell us Netflix sub-account revenue was quite negative, while users log out because they cannot share their passwords as before, and at the same time others who have continued to use the service as before, of course, without paying a sub-account surcharge. Some precedents that, observed from the outside, encourage us to think that as they spread to other regions, the income will be similar, that is, quite negative.

Netflix has a problem, and it’s a very serious problem, with shared accounts, but it’s not what its directors think. The company has been involved in this use for some time, which is understandable when we talk about strangers who agree to set up accounts and share expenses, but not so much when we talk about members of the same family who, although not living together, have very close bond.

Until the test program was deployed in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, technical measures were taken, displaying messages and forcing users to log in again, but they seem willing to proceed with these tests. . And the problem is that there are a significant number of users who, if they can’t share their account, they can log out of Netflix, as has already happened with the pilot program.

More than a month ago, we learned that previous HBO Max executives were fully aware of the shared use of user accounts, but unlike Netflix, they understood that this was normal and subsequently had some control, but only took action against what they considered abusive. Quite a nod to Netflix users, which many of them will certainly notice if the company tightens its measures in this regard.

Netflix, like HBO Max, should properly audit account sharing, individually and prosecute only those cases that presuppose actual abuse, not something reasonable. The main problem of the company is not shared accounts, but a decrease in subscribers, and at this type of event it seems to be shooting itself in the leg.