Netflix France recently announced its decision to end account sharing, a move that has been met with dissatisfaction from subscribers and those who rely on shared accounts. The announcement has led to a wave of cancellations and a public relations challenge for the streaming giant.
Following in the footsteps of Netflix in other countries, Netflix France is putting a stop to account sharing. However, the news has not been well-received by the online community, with many subscribers rushing to cancel or abandon their subscriptions.
The announcement tweet from Netflix was “ratioed,” indicating that it received more negative comments and responses than traditional retweets.
Votre compte Netflix est pour vous et les personnes avec qui vous vivez. De nouvelles fonctionnalités en France vont vous permettre de mieux gérer votre compte. Bien entendu, vous pourrez toujours regarder vos séries et films préférés en voyage.https://t.co/gYmN1M0U7z pic.twitter.com/Ssu6Kmglev
— Netflix France (@NetflixFR) May 23, 2023
Confusion and Questions
Screenshots of Netflix cancellation messages have been shared by many users, asking for clarification on their account status. Common questions include, “I don’t live with my parents during the week, do I have to pay extra?”, “I’m on a business trip all year, what do I do?”, and “How do we prove that our children studying away from home are not at our residence? This email is completely incomprehensible.”
mais, je ne vis pas avec mes parents la semaine. Dois-je payer tout de même en plus ????
— Dan (@rosesrkjm) May 23, 2023
Netflix does offer exceptions, permitting users to access a third-party account as long as they connect “regularly” to the Wi-Fi network associated with the primary household.
Competitors Capitalize on Netflix’s Decision
Numerous users have voiced their intention to switch to competing streaming services, such as Amazon Prime Video or Disney+, which currently do not limit account sharing.
Mais Netflix il savent qu’ils se mettent la corde autour du cou là? On va tous aller chez prime ils vont voir y’a plus que 2 personnes connectées https://t.co/w4xql5tt0r
— Benito (@Baswa_) May 23, 2023
Additionally, some users have mentioned long-standing shared Netflix accounts with friends or former romantic partners, expressing disappointment at the end of these digital connections. A 2017 tweet from Netflix that read, “Love is an addiction, Love is sharing a password,” has resurfaced, appearing out of touch with the company’s current stance. Non-household members will now have to pay an additional €5.99 per month to access the account.
