Netflix has begun its clampdown on password sharing in the UK with emails being sent to customers who are sharing their accounts with people “outside their household”.
The streaming giant said a Netflix account was “for use by one household” and those wanting to share theirs must pay £4.99 to do so.
It comes after the company, which has lost subscribers amid stiffer competition and rising inflation, began a crackdown on account sharing last year in countries including Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.
On Tuesday, Netflix posted a statement online which read: “Starting today, we will be sending this email to members who are sharing Netflix outside their household in the United Kingdom.
“A Netflix account is for use by one household.
“Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are – at home, on the go, on holiday – and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices.
“We recognise that our members have many entertainment choices.
“It’s why we continue to invest heavily in a wide variety of new films and TV programmes – so whatever your taste, mood or language and whoever you’re watching with, there’s always something satisfying to watch on Netflix.”
An attached screenshot of the email detailed ways customers could share their accounts.
These included allowing users to “transfer a profile” to a “new membership that they pay for” or buying an extra member for the price of £4.99 extra per month.
Netflix has changed its tune since joking on Twitter that “Love is sharing a password” as it was quickly expanding in the UK in 2017.
Netflix is also set to end its DVD rental service later this year.
DVD.com has been operated by Netflix for the past 25 years, but the streaming giant announced late yesterday they would be "shipping our final discs" on September 29, 2023.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the service had "changed the way people watched shows and movies at home" and had paved the way for the shift to streaming.
But he said it was becoming "increasingly difficult" to maintain the service as the "business continues to shrink".
Mr Sarandos added: "From the beginning, our members loved the choice and control that direct-to-consumer entertainment offered: the wide variety of the titles and the ability to binge watch entire series.
"DVDs also led to our first foray into original programming — with Red Envelope Entertainment titles including Sherrybaby and Zach Galifianakis Live at the Purple Onion.
"We feel so privileged to have been able to share movie nights with our DVD members for so long, so proud of what our employees achieved and excited to continue pleasing entertainment fans for many more decades to come.
"To everyone who ever added a DVD to their queue or waited by the mailbox for a red envelope to arrive: thank you."
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