Knives out
The day many of us have feared could be just around the corner — Netflix has outlined exactly how they’ll be catching out and cracking down on password sharers.
After a tough 2022 for the streaming giant, in which subscriber growth slowed to a trickle for the first 9 months of the year, it’s unsurprising that they’re looking to stamp out people getting free fixes of hits like Stranger Things.
You wouldn’t steal a car
Through the silent movie era and the years of bootleg DVDs, piracy has long plagued the film industry, but now — even in the online age — it's still a major plot hole for Hollywood.
Though searches for classic cost-dodging queries like “watch movies online for free” have faded in recent years, the entertainment industry is still struggling to crack down on illegal downloads and streams. Indeed, the online piracy world reportedly saw an unprecedented spike at the onset of the pandemic, with movies hit hardest by the rise.
Although it doesn't really feel that wrong, password sharing — a practice that's against the terms of service of streaming sites — is a major pain point. In 2021, for example, it’s estimated that Netflix lost some $9.1bn to password sharers.
One survey from last year suggests piracy may be something the industry has to deal with for a little while longer with nearly 1 in 4 people justifying piracy because they simply believe “movies / music should be available to everyone for free”.
