General

How does that work with people on mobile devices? You are going to have a different IP address while on mobile (or for example, on airport Wifi) vs. at home but it's still the same user.

Not to mention if you travel and use the same services. I guess they'd have to build a case against you before bringing it up to penalize you.

Would that apply for all the plans? I pay for the highest tier (4 simultaneous) precisely because of my “leechers”, i dont recall it being limited to one physical household, definitely dont need 4 devices running netflix at the same time at home

This is why I use Real Debrid. All these streaming services are basically like paying for cable all over again.

Lol I just canceled my Hulu and went back to cable. At least now I’ll be able to watch the gosh darn ballgame.
So now all we have is Netflix and Amazon (though it’s mainly used for shopping but we enjoy a few Amazon exclusives!)

Spotify did a mock test to scare people from sharing. This was about a year it two ago. They wanted people to confirm their address. But I'd still pay individually for it if I had to. I'm the one who pays for the family plan.

If they crack down on sharing on most of the major streaming platforms it's going to be bad for people. I personally don't watch much movies and shows anymore. Mainly just sports on cable sometimes. I watch a lot of YouTube with ads and occupy my time with video games. So while I personally don't care as much, it's going to really mess with most people. But I'm sure that many will pony up and pay eventually. Especially ones who cut cable. At the end of the day the average person will spend more money.

sinnie wrote:

Yeah. Watching MLB is why I value having cable. But sadly, several MLB games per year are getting taken away from Cable subscribers with streaming subscription deals. But as of right now you'll still be able to get most games. But that number is definitely on a downtrend.

metsfan718 wrote:

I’m discovering that. We don’t watch every game but it’s nice to have it as an option.
Thankfully DIRECTV Stream works similar to Hulu so was easy to switch and basically the same I was paying.
Apparently additionally, Hulu snuck in Disney+ on my subscription and I had no fudging clue. No idea how long I was paying for that or even how to access it.
I’m the only one who manages the subscription so could not have been a mistake as the subscription I had was set in place before Disney+ was a thing.

sinnie wrote:

Disney has majority ownership of Hulu. So they could very well trick people into subscribing by mistake.

Yeah but there was nothing I signed up for, clicked on, or agreed to. Very weird but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

We'll see what happens. I think my wife can live without everything except for Discovery Plus. She watches home makeover and food shows 90% of the time. I can live with just YouTube.

Ruh roh

https://gizmodo.com/netflix-is-finally-cutting-you...

the last sentence of that article is funny, it's like all doom and gloom then the last sentence gives it a little out, lol.

"Though total subscribers fell, Netflix still reported a quarterly revenue growth of almost 10%. So, on second thought, maybe you can hold onto your ex-uncle’s password after all."

They are using the password sharing thing for attention now -- to distract from the real issues with them losing subscribers (and admitting that they are about to lose a LOT more over the next quarter).

This is a public company now scrambling to make shareholder happy. To make it look like their downward fall -- and anticipated further downward fall -- can easily be fixed by stopping some password sharing. That just isn't the case. this year is going to be very interesting for Netflix. Even if they magically stopped all password sharing, I think they'd still be in some real trouble as far as the numbers go.

If I was into shorting stocks, I'd short it.

John wrote:

Don't give OP ideas.

BlueJava wrote:

hahaha, I clearly have a great past here!

People spent the last two years binge watching everything on streaming services. Now there are even more streaming services, some that are being bundled in with other services like cell phone plans. There's way too much content out there, a lot of it being real junk. Not to mention that Netflix specifically is one of the highest priced streaming services that doesn't have a live TV option and their original content hasn't been all that great lately. If it wasn't for my wife, I'd probably drop my subscription, only to rejoin a month a time to binge watch something that I'm interested in then cancel again.

SwiftJAB wrote:

This is my plan going forward. Too many services. And you really only are watching one or maybe two actively at a time. So why pay for them all every month?

Eh, they'll just lose people then. The ad-supported options will help alleviate their stock problems. You can't have profiles on an account and expect people not to share with friends and family members.

I wonder how many "subscription sharing" groups that were formed from members right here on GameTZ have been affected?

Noid wrote:

Once upon a time you could Amazon Prime share. I'm still in one.

Noid wrote:

Not the one I am in. Netflix isn't even worth crying about if they ever do crack down so it's irrelevant. Once they drop the remainder of Ozark Park I'm done with them anyway. I only join a group every other year for 6 months and I run out of stuff to watch before they group ends anyway.

Noid wrote:

No one has been affected yet. They are just talking about it still. Again, this is a distraction from (and an excuse for) their announcement that they are losing subscribers and expect to lose millions more over the next quarter. So, they haven't done anything yet.

And, sure, they might actually do something. And it might help them a tiny bit. But the reality is that they have bigger issues than password sharing that they need to deal with if they want to stop losing millions of subscribers...

I've never looked into it, but I would be curious if Netflix is big in the Asian markets. I ask because, of the new shows I've seen added, a butt ton are Japanese/Korean/Indian shows/movies. If that is the case then that is why they are probably seeing a domestic drop in subscribers but higer revenue. I'm thinking about getting rid of Netflix just because their content has become incredibly stale. Movies (not Netflix only movies, those are consistently terrible) are not existent on the platform. The way they judge success of their shows is absurd in the day of streaming. I think it's based off viewers completing the seriens within like 2 weeks or something crazy. That's why a lot of good or at least decent (I'm looking at you Cowboy Bebop) shows get axed after the first season.

Of the streaming services I have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney +, and now HBO Max. Hulu is attached to a deal I have for Spotify so I'll keep it (plus it has the FXX stuff which is some of the best series out right now), Disney + will keep me locked in because I'm a Marvel mark, Amazon Prime is basically just an extra service to me for Amazon Prime, and HBO Max contains the best in movies and shows. Netflix really isn't offering me much.

I would say I would keep it for the kids, but they watch more youtube videos now than anything.

Netflix was revolutionary back in the early 2010's when streaming was getting big. However over time the price hikes have just been out of control and there are other services that are much cheaper. Netflix is over double the price it used to be. I actually read an article the other day that for season 4 of stranger things, each episode costs 30 million EACH to produce! I'm guessing spending like that is why the prices continue to rise since they have to pass those costs onto the customer. The streaming market has become over saturated, I agree with others that the best approach is to just have 1 service at a time. If you have DVDs, Blu Rays, or even digital movies you've purchases.. you can supplement your viewing with those. I hope the loss of customers and revenue is a reality check to Netflix and they reduce their spending and lower the price. I personally would not buy an "ad supported" version as time is money and I hate watching commercials now.

sa330206 wrote:

Agreed. And I don't like how shows rotate out. At $10, it was great -- even at $12. But give it a couple years and it will be $20 for the basic, 4-profile subscription. I'll continue to mooch off my parents' account, but if they ever cancel, I guess I'm done as well.

I do wish everyone would stop comparing them to "traditional" network series. I saw someone defending Netflix by saying that the stats show that they actually keep series going LONGER than CBS. They showed CBS original series that got cancelled after a season or two -- and compared it to Netflix ones that went longer than that. And then went "See? Netflix is doing more original stuff than CBS!" Um, yeah, except a Netflix "season" is often 8-12 episodes and a CBS "season" is usually 20-22. So, if Netflix goes 3 seasons, they made 24-36 episodes. If CBS goes only two season, they likely made 40-44 episodes -- significantly more than Netflix. (Also, 2 seasons of CBS originals would all be out over like a 20-month period. 3 seasons on Netflix was probably spread over 36-months when them doing a seasons every 18 months. So, even based on TIME, CBS is still pushing out a lot more a lot faster.)

We talked about it in the other thread, but that is really the big issue for me with most Netflix shows. Even if I like them, they are like 8-10 episodes usually. With a 16-18 month waiting period in between. It's just too little too far apart for me.

Meh I’m keeping Netflix but mainly because I got a huge backlog of things to watch. They’ve put out tons of quality shows and the price monthly isn’t that bad. Compared to Hulu where I was paying $80/mo for commercial free shows and still getting commercials because they mark everything “on demand” and thereby exempt from commercial free. Hulu is the company people should be mad at. They got like 1-2 good shows, no where near the content of Netflix. I cut it off and went with Direct Stream (same price) to watch baseball and am enjoying the platform, channels and streaming a lot more. It isn’t commercial free but I can fast forward through the commercial as long as it isn’t live. So often I’ll pause a show, walk away and fast forward through them. Hulu usually didn’t allow commercials to be skipped.


Another Hulu complaint, they snuck in a Disney + subscription on my account that I paid for and had no idea we even had it. Really pissed me off.

John wrote:


I find I don’t mind the shorter seasons USUALLY. It’s good to not have a lot of filler and be able to finish a season quickly. The wait in between really sucks and was only made worse due to the pandemic. But overall I still find the quality to be worthwhile.

Sure, some of their stuff is quality. I was more talking about the people trying to compare it to something like CBS and pretending that Netflix was doing a better job with keeping seasons going. Well, yeah, it's easy to make it to "season 3" when that is only episode number 17! You can't compare that fairly to a CBS show that only made it to Season 2 when just ONE season on CBS would be well beyond two seasons (over like 20 MONTHS) of Netflix...

John wrote:

100% agree with this. I miss the time of a "season" of programming meaning a year.

Not TV related, but it bugs the crap out of me that Fortnite came out in 2017 and is already on "Season" 20

So Netflix is rolling out next month? Oh boy.

https://uproxx.com/tv/netflix-password-sharing-cra...

https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/01/netflix-lists-ru...

If this meant they were also lowering prices, it would be great news IMO.

I feel like there are lots of younger people today who might not have "home internet." Like, I know lots of them that just have unlimited cell data plans and only use the internet that way. For them, their IP changes constantly as they travel. Like, people commute and watch Netflix on the subway. All the time. I'm not sure how they will handle those accounts with no real "home base."

We cancelled our Netflix last month and it feels great. I really enjoy their documentaries but it't just not worth the monthly fee anymore. I hope they lose a lot of customers and consider lowing their prices.

I cancelled cable a couple years ago and went through major withdrawals.... As of right now I have the Hulu/Disney plus black Friday deal for $5.35 for 12 months and Peacock $0.99 for 12 months...I gave up Spotify cause finding a reliable group was just insane..I gave up watching sports and that wasn't fun but it ok, I really feel I may go crawling back to Spotify because I need it for the gym and riding the bike trails.. The itunes music I have bought in 2012 doesn't quite hit the same after hearing it the 1000th time.

Supposedly it isn't happening next month in the US ... but still coming:

https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-password-shari...

I totally get what they're doing, it makes sense ... but ultimately, it may create more to leave, ultimately have a reverse impact on what they're anticipating. They've clearly had to think about this and they chosen this path in hopes that it will increase subscription counts. It very well may, we shall see.

I don't know... the shows are top notch. The monthly fee is cheap. Everything is going up EVERYWHERE. I mean a fudging Mcdonalds meal is now $10-12 around here. It makes total sense for them to figure out how to stop losing money by people cheating the system. If YOU offered a subscription service you'd be disgusted by people screwing you like that too. (I actually offer something online that is used by about 100 people and the way people try to worm out of $20/yr is astounding.)

Netflix is still my most used subscription. I mean if it makes sense for people to cancel because they aren't using it, fine. I'd love to get Paramount+ and Apple TV but no time for it so I'm not.

I don't really have any online service subscriptions other than GTZ. I had Netflix years ago, but I didn't use it all that often so I ended up canceling.

I agree people trying to cheap out by password-sharing is definitely hurting their bottom line. If they lowered their prices in accordance with their new crackdown, people would just try and find ways around the new system and they'd just be losing more money.

If you are using it, Netflix offers an awesome product at a reasonable price. 15 bucks a month - that's like 50 cents a day.

I'm sure we all do dumber things with more money on a regular basis.

benstylus wrote:


Exactly... like my $7 a day latte addiction. Though it might just be 3-4 days a week. Some people are every day sometimes multiple times. 7x30= $210... damn