Netflix has become not only a hobby but almost a lifestyle for many people, particularly young adults. It is to no surprise that Netflix’s new crackdown on account sharing has been met with some less than amiable replies. New software developed by the company Synamedia will allow Netflix to analyze the location of who is logged in to an account. The software will use machine learning to track atypical usage and is said to be extremely adept at pinpointing unwarranted usage of an account.
The sharing of Netflix accounts by users is said to have accumulated to a loss of multiple billions of dollars. From a poll taken by Netflix in 2014, it was found that more than half of its total usage comes from those who did not pay for a subscription of their own. Credential sharing has become all too commonplace of a problem for Netflix to ignore, and they have determined that this sort of action had to be taken. Consequently, this new policy would also affect families, as well as those who may share monthly payments.
The idea behind the change is to offer those who would normally share their account credentials illegally a premium account that will allow a certain level of account sharing. “Many casual users will be happy to pay an additional fee for a premium, shared service with a great number of concurrent users. It’s a great way to keep honest people honest while benefiting from an incremental revenue stream, said Jean Racine, Synamedia’s primary product officer.
This change has, of course, been met with an uproar of disapproval, most of which coming from young adults who frequently share credentials with each other. The typical “poor” college student is undoubtedly not eager to pay additional money a month for what was previously a free product. With Netflix hosting a plethora of our favorite shows and also producing a myriad of original content in the past couple of years, it is to no surprise that this change is coming.
Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, so it certainly seems possible that just a little over an hour of your paycheck could be devoted to a service that adds up to 40 hours a month on average according to GBH Insights. A small additional payment seems likes a reasonable request in order to allow Netflix the ability to continue giving us a product we can all enjoy and be satisfied with.
Source:www.prnewswire.com
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Kylie Smith 
Colin Tomczak