Don’t pay Max for an ‘extra member’ until the service forces you to
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2025 1:24 pm
The latest password-sharing "crackdowns" are really just shakedowns for now.
Netflix is the envy of every other major streaming service; so, every other major streaming service continues to copy Netflix’s rules against password sharing.
This week, Max took a page from Netflix’s playbook by adding an option to pay $8 per month for an extra member that doesn’t live in your home, same as Netflix. Last fall, Disney added similar options for its Disney+ streaming service ($7 per month with ads, $10 per month without). Both companies have updated their terms of service to say that out-of-home account sharing is forbidden.
But calling this a “crackdown” is still extreme relative to the actual level of enforcement that’s happening. Let’s call them shakedowns instead, with streaming services using the occasional nastygram or sign-in nuisance to see what extra revenue they can knock loose. Don’t make it easier on them by giving in before it’s absolutely necessary.
Buying Some Time...
➤➤➤ SEE MORE @ PC WORLD
Netflix is the envy of every other major streaming service; so, every other major streaming service continues to copy Netflix’s rules against password sharing.
This week, Max took a page from Netflix’s playbook by adding an option to pay $8 per month for an extra member that doesn’t live in your home, same as Netflix. Last fall, Disney added similar options for its Disney+ streaming service ($7 per month with ads, $10 per month without). Both companies have updated their terms of service to say that out-of-home account sharing is forbidden.
But calling this a “crackdown” is still extreme relative to the actual level of enforcement that’s happening. Let’s call them shakedowns instead, with streaming services using the occasional nastygram or sign-in nuisance to see what extra revenue they can knock loose. Don’t make it easier on them by giving in before it’s absolutely necessary.
Buying Some Time...
➤➤➤ SEE MORE @ PC WORLD