Netflix to crack down on password sharing, end DVD rental plan this year

April 18, 2023
Technology

after rolling out the feature in four countries and being “pleased with the results.”

This year will also mark the end of Netflix’s DVD rental service, which shipped its first movie in 1998.

“Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members,” the company said Tuesday in a quarterly earnings report, “but as the DVD business continues to shrink that’s going to become increasingly hard.”

How does Netflix’s paid sharing plan work?

Netflix started testing ways to monetize account sharing in Latin America last year.

In February, the company launched its “buy an extra member” feature in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain.

The new approach requires a primary location for each account. Standard and premium plan subscribers can then add a “sub account” for up to two people who live outside their home for an additional fee.

Subscribers can still watch Netflix on their personal devices on the go or log into a new TV at a hotel or rental, according to a February statement from Netflix.

“A Netflix account is intended for one household,” the company said in February. “Today, over 100 million households are sharing accounts – impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films.”

An end to Netflix’s DVD plan

After 25 years of renting DVDs, Netflix said it will ship its final discs on Sept. 29.

“DVD paved the way for streaming, ensuring that so much of what we started will continue long into the future,” the company’s Tuesday report said. “We feel so privileged to have been able to share movie nights with our DVD members for so long.”

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