“A ridiculous decision”, “too expensive”, “senseless”, “a pure and hard scam”: Quebec Netflix users are not going out of their way to denounce the platform’s controversial new anti-sharing policy.
• Read also: Netflix subscriptions: Canadians are unsubscribing in droves
“When I saw the action Netflix was going to take once morest password sharing, I was furious! In addition, Netflix wants to use my personal data to find out where I am,” protests Nicolas Morneau, who shares his account with his brother and his parents.
Starting February 21, all platform subscribers will be forced to enter a permanent location, from which they can enjoy streaming services. For each additional address, they will have to pay an additional $7.99 per month.
The newspaper has also received dozens of testimonials from disgruntled users who denounced the company’s decision.
“It’s a move completely stupid for students and even me, who leaves the house to live in an apartment, I don’t necessarily have the money to pay $20.99/month for a subscription,” laments Vincent Corriveau.
On Twitter, the #BoycottNetflix hashtag quickly went viral. Recall that in 2017, the popular American streaming platform tweeted “Love is sharing a password” on its own account.
A trip… next door
The hour of binge watching on the subway or at dinnertime has come, as Netflix’s new rule forces users to stay in the comfort of their homes. There is also no longer any question of listening to Netflix at your next date if your boyfriend is not a subscriber. To watch your favorite series outside your home, you will need to request a travel code for temporary location.
This is what Mélanie Pelosse noticed on Friday followingnoon, when she wanted to connect to her spouse’s business. “I was asked to register a fixed address, while the business is 700 m from my home! It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she laments, sorry to have had to uninstall the application.
Several families who have shared an account for years have opted to go back to the basic plan, which does not allow them to share their password.
“I had a premium Netflix subscription which allowed me to have multiple screens. My only objective was to be able to share the account with my mother who lives in France”, explains Lilian De Nicola.
Because of the new measures, she chose to upgrade to the basic plan at $9.99 per month.
“I will slowly break away from Netflix and completely terminate my contract within the year. I hope that this little mentality will serve them in the future,” she adds.
Pay for groceries or pay for Netflix?
Quebecers already have to tighten their belts to be able to pay their rent; now a new burden is added on their shoulders. If the increase of $7.99 per month may seem trivial, it is also necessary to calculate the additional costs for the entire family.
Mélanie Pelosse, mother of four young adults, has gladly agreed to pay the family Netflix account to financially relieve her children in the apartment. Moreover, she had the assurance that her grandson also had access to her “good men”.
“Despite the cost of living, I knew my kids were saving by sharing the family account. Unfortunately, Netflix no longer meets the needs of my family,” she says.
If she had kept her subscription, she would have had to pay $7.99 per month for each additional member on her account. An unacceptable change, according to the mother of the family.
Evaluate your options
The competition is increasingly fierce between the different platforms, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime. However, Netflix is the company that offers the most expensive subscription, in addition to being the only one to practice an anti-consumer policy that prevents people from sharing an account outside their homes.
Éric de Montigny, digital strategist and blogger on the TikTok platform, has been analyzing the offer of the various streaming platforms in Canada for a few years now.
“Conglomerates like Disney, Warner Bros and Amazon can afford to lose money in the streaming, while Netflix solely depends on subscription revenue from its platform. This is why the anti-sharing policy was created,” he explains in an interview with The newspaper.
Platforms compared
Here is the offer of the different streaming platforms in Canada for a package including simultaneous broadcasting on four screens and 4K resolution.
Netflix
- $20.99/month, an additional rate of $7.99 for a loved one “out of home”
- Advantage: there are several emblematic series, such as Stranger Things, Gilmore Girls et Wednesday.
Disney+
- $11.99/month or $119.99/year
- Positive point: the major licenses that perform at the box office, such as Marvel, Avatar et Star Wars, are powered by this platform.
Crave
- $19.99/month or $199.90/year
- Advantage: the HBO catalog is present there, as well as all the series attached to the very popular universe of Game of Thrones.
Amazon Prime
- $9.99/month or $99/year
- Advantage: many Quebecers have access to it via their subscription to have free delivery on Amazon.
