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

sinnie wrote:

I'm not surprised that they are trying to crackdown and fees are going up, but you might be the first person I've seen that says the shows are top notch. I've actually thought their quality has gone down dramatically and their litmus for success is so high nothing gets renewed. I've had Netflix since almost it's inception and think its probably the worst it's ever been and certainly the weaker of the premium streaming services. Only reason I keep it around on the paid with advertisement level is there are kids shows that can't be found anywhere else my kids enjoy.

HBO Max offers a ridiculous amount of content for the value so of course they are working to gut it now. Can't have a good thing for too long.

Netflix is still the best in terms of UX, and personalized recommendations and basically making sure im aware of stuff I should be interested in
But over the past year or so it’s probably been my 3rd favorite streaming after Disney+ and HBO Max. Amazon Prime was really good when it first came here but it’s kinda crapty now, although still a few exclusives (like the boys) that make sure i keep subscribing

We recently also got SkyShowtime, seems to be a Europe only thing. Promising library at first but stupid things like no way to change app language (it’s Croatian and cant be changed) and no app for PS5 or my Samsung TV means I kind of ignore it for now. Only 3 eur a month though (50% off lifetime) so whatever

beavis wrote:

It's weird, it goes against their entire business model.

They want people to watch their shows as soon as possible so they know there is interest in making more... but the whole point of Netflix as an alternative to cable is to watch whenever you feel like it, and not be tied to a schedule.

One of the big draws is to be able to binge-watch entire seasons at a time. Can't do that if they are leaking out an episode only every couple weeks.

And their propensity to cancel shows further pushed people to not bother getting invested in them until they are proven winners.

They make great documentaries, particularly true crime stuff. I've watched some interesting ones the last few weeks before my subscription ends. Hatchet wielding hitchhiker, I just shot my dad, the pepsi jet, unsolved mysteries. It just feels like they got greedy by constantly raising prices and removing content. My guess is they've sunk to much money into "original content" that they have to make that money back somehow. Our plan is to wait until maybe once a year when enough new stuff is added (ex: Witcher, last season of stranger things, etc) then sign up for 1 month and then cancel again.

I thought I read that there will be a function for those who use Netflix "on the go" where the main account profile will have to give out PINs or some code to those who want to use it to access their profile on the account?

HybridCRoW wrote:
Probably have to put your phone number on your account and when you try to access it they will send a code or link to your phone to verify the account to use it. My bank, credit cards and insurance does this to me now... I am a firm believer in if you pay for a service you can use it as you see fit... The thought that you can afford it because you spend that amount on stuff you don't need anyway is beyond ridiculous to me.... How much stuff do people cut out already to pay for stuff and there's no relief in sight.. If they crack down we can carpool to @MrBean mansion, chip in on movie's, split a pizza and watch them figure out how to stop us

Outside of YouTube TV, the only streaming services that I subscribe to are Netflix and HBO Max. Between the two of them, I have more than enough to watch. What I like about Netflix is the abundance of international shows. There's some good stuff out there.

Pretty sure Netflix has recanted this after less than stellar reaction.

we've never had Netflix. My parents get DirectTV, but we don't watch most of the channels. I know subscription service is the new model, but I really prefer one-and-done payment. With subscription, I'd feel like I'd need to make the most out of it each year or month to justify the expense.

I have Amazon Prime but I only use it for the free shipping and returns - I don't bother with any of the other features, though I did redeem one or two content freebies on Twitch (Amazon Gaming). I used to have PS+ but dropped that years ago - at the time I didn't have a PS4 so online play was free, and I rarely liked any of the free games they offered. I have a PS4 now and I wish they had a cheap option for just being able to access online play. Same with Amazon - let me have a cheap option that just has the shipping perks, I don't want the TV & movies, music, kindle books, audible, etc.

Kommie wrote:
Yes they did... We should start a Netflix group to celebrate...

Is anyone still leaching a Netflix account? Haven't put any work into this but ready to watch some stuff again and we use my brothers account. Mobile devices and tablets work, just not TVs.

We were thinking about making a shared email to simply get a code? I question how many times you're allowed to authorize a device off the home grounds though?

Assuming it best to just fork over the money, but curios if anyone has any viable workarounds.

Thanks

So, I was sharing from a co-worker and it did indeed cut us off. He also shares it to his mother in law and she was also cut off. We considered doing a bunch of hoops (VPN) to make it all work, but it just wasn't worth it to me.

Has anyone who has travelled run into issues with using their account? I wonder how it handles when you're using a hotel wifi. I guess I've not had issues tethering from my phone...

With the new system, at some point soon if not already, it will pop up when you try it from that hotel WiFi and tell you that you aren't at your home location. Then you can request a temporary code to say that you are traveling.

It isn't clear yet how often you can do that or for how long it lasts. (i.e. so you can't just have your buddy in his house share it and put in a code and be all set. It would be an ongoing thing.)

Yeah I could see someone saying "well I have two houses and I travel back and forth" which absolutely could be true for some. This seems like a BS system. I'm still subscribing because I'm still enjoying a lot of the shows on it.

I had an issue when HBO Max moved to Max although I don't see any confirmation they have cracked down on sharing.

When Max first came out, I was able to login fine, sister had a problem and got stuck in a password reset loop that never worked. Next day was reversed, sister is in fine and now I'm in a password reset loop that never works.
I've just left it off for now, going to try and log in in-person on my devices when I visit later in the year but I would think if there was a crackdown, there would be some info out for it.

Disney+ is next. Expect more to follow.

https://www.androidcentral.com/streaming-tv/disney...

I am in favor of this.

People should follow the rules and get their own accounts when they don't fall under the same household/family set out in the TOS, or drop the service.

Are the services too expensive individually? Maybe, but maybe people dropping them en masse will get them to realize it and lower their prices.

Password sharing just tells the bigwigs that they have an untapped potential market that they need to find ways to monetize. It tells them that what they are doing wrong is letting people share passwords, not that they are pricing their service too high.

Yeah I am in favor of this as well. However all the streaming services and individual subscriptions are making this crap more expensive than cable ever was. The only good thing is being able to pick and choose what you use, on a month to month basis. If I was a business selling subscriptions I would be furious over password sharing. That's your money, your product.

and unlike cable, you don't have to be married to an agreement for a year at a time. Done watching your show for the year, or the series is over? Cancel and move onto another.

sinnie wrote:

Or take a break from monthly fees entirely

Streaming is hemorrhaging money. None of the streaming service have enough content to justify their prices. HBO was the best, they realized this, and now they are splintering off content onto other streaming services. I think in a few years you're going to see 2-3 big bundled services for a price that is comparable to cable.

Ultimately the answer isn't subscription password sharing. It's what it has always been, commercials. Cheaper prices, more commercials. It's a volume game, more eyes means more you can charge for commercials. Honestly that is probably the biggest driving factor to getting rid of password sharing. They can't charge companies correctly because they can't figure out how many eyes they actually have on their product.

beavis wrote:

The other problem is that when Netflix opened the streaming dam, their prices were pretty low (maybe high for the available streaming content they had back then, but streaming was just a small part of their DVD rental business model at the time).

Because the price was introduced pretty low, everyone else also had to have a low price to compete with them.

Honestly, if I was watching streaming shows every day, even every few days, I think the current prices would be absolutely reasonable. But I don't. When I had Netflix, a lot of times I spent maybe 5 hours of watching time in a month.

I agree we will see a consolidation within a few years, and either a massive increase in ads, or a substantial increase in price.

I cant seem to drop Netflix. Every time I want to the release a new murder show or doc that my wife wants to see or some love is blind crap lol.... I do genuinely like the content Netflix puts out, though but it's going to be interesting to see how the writer strike affected the pipeline of content needed to keep these streaming platforms relevant fairs.

Yeah Netflix remains my favorite. Like my games, my backlog is very long. They just announced an animated Tomb Raider that looks AMAZING!

I get HBO / Max for free from my cellphone. Amazon because of Prime (but we never use it, but the Boys is great..) I ended Hulu because the non commercial package had commercials and was getting way too high.
I am trying out a 3 month trial of Apple TV right now (3 months with a phone/watch purchase right now!)

Password share as much as you can... These so called big wigs are raising prices and are only blaming pw sharing cause they are aware enough people will empathize with how hard they have it being filthy rich... I wish people would stop feeling bad for corporations that price people out housing, groceries, clothing, health insurance, streaming, etc...

FYI: THEY WILL CERTAINLY RAISE PRICES AGAIN AFTER THE PW CRACKDOWN... they will raise prices again and again and again and again...

BlueJava wrote:

One of these things is not like the others...

But if you think streaming is as important as housing/food/healthcare, you might have your priorities mixed up.

When you password share it gives them an excuse. The right way to fight greed is by walking away from it and not spending any money, not just only spending your 1/4 share of the group.

sinnie wrote:

You can get Hulu gift cards to pay for the service from Bing Rewards.

I miss when they gave out 1 year of Apple tv with the device purchases when the service was new to boost numbers. But I guess it's like the old preorder for Disney+ before that launched, 3 years for $2-something a month. Good times.

I was down on Netflix, mostly because their litmus for success of a show is so incredibly stupid, but they have released some quality stuff in the past 2 months. Like I said, for me HBO has the best content. Now that marvel isn’t releasing as much/waiting longer to put stuff on the network Disney + has become my least watched. I have a feeling it will merge soon with something bigger, maybe Hulu (which is being propped up by FXX shows.

That reminds me... I need to do a trial of Hulu or something so that I can watch the new Futurama...

Futurama is the show that just won't stay canceled.

Netflix is apparently going to be raising prices again this year. Using the writers strike as the excuse this time.

That seemed to be predicted to be coming as a result of the strikes. Discovery+ also raising the price.

Mostly seems to be the ad-free tiers going up, the ads must pay out pretty well on the cheaper tiers to not need to raise as much.

I'm always surprised that ads work that well. I mean, I just ignore them. For most networks, I have ad-free. But the Paramount+ deal was too good to pass up for their ad-supported service. The ads are like up to 120 seconds and usually shorter -- and we just ignore them. Like, I'll grab my phone for a second to check my email or something during that time. Does anyone sit and watch them?

The only ad that ever works kinda is they'll run a short 10 second thing at the very end for some other P+ show to watch. I MIGHT then check that out -- but, again, that doesn't really bring in the ad-based revenue.

I'm just always surprised that commercial ads actually work, I guess.

I'm not sure what's going on with Paramount+ but I have all kinds of issues with it. On one of my Roku boxes, the sound for just Paramount+ doesnt work about 25% of the time. The actual Roku and TV output sound fine but when I put on a show on P+ theres no audio. I end up having to reboot the box multiple times before it works.

The other issue I see with P+ is the picture quality. I have several shows like Andy Griffith, Cheers, and Twilight Zone on Blu Ray. The picture quality on Blu is literally 2-3x better than streaming. I understand with compression, an HD stream is slightly lower quality but we are talking SD vs HD quality difference. Not all shows are like this, some look fine but the 3 I mentioned look awful on P+.

Regarding Netflix, they have lost me as a customer with all these price hikes. I do like their documentaries but it's just not worth the price. If a show I really like comes out, I might purchase a single month but then I will cancel.

Archer wrote:

Well you can't expect the corporate execs to take a hit to their profits. So yeah they will pass it onto us. I still feel like Netflix is one that is fairly cheap monthly for all that I get out of it anyway. Of course I only watch maybe 1-2 hours a day at the max so it's not like I have time to binge anything right now. I'm probably their ideal idiot, lol.

sa330206 wrote:

Oh, yeah, the P+ app is crap. Like, worst of the ones that I stream with. I have a TV with Android, so it uses the P+ Android app for that -- and it just plain sucks. Gets confused about where it is. Sometimes shows one show and plays the audio from another episode. (I had that happen once for days. I had to wipe the app cache completely and log back in to get it to finally work again.)


Yeah, I think they have the non-HD licenses for them or something weird for some of that older stuff.

John wrote:

Their app really is complete trash on android. There have been so many issues with their app since they released it. But lately its gotten better with the last update they sent out, can't remember when that was. I'm actually not sure if it was their app that updated, or my android device that has somewhat fixed it with its own update. I have a generic little box I use that runs on android, and only this app has ever had issues. The biggest two are losing its place in a shows episode list, and telling me I don't have a license to play the next episode. That one requires me to restart the device to clear out the cache to fix it. The place losing issue still happens, but I can now get back to my place pretty quickly. Before it seemed like it was indexing the entire shows library and would take like 3-5 minutes before anything would load. Now its instant to load all the episodes, but I still have to scroll through to get back.

Netflix is by far the service I use and like the most for 'variety' sake, but jeez, getting really tired of the rising costs.

benstylus wrote:

Netflix has announced another price increase after the writer strike ends... I wonder what kind of nonsense you'll use to tell everyone it's good for them to give away more money... I guess you laugh about this the same way I laugh at idiots complaining about high gas prices...