Swapping streams: 'Subscription services are supposed to be a shared commodity' - MW

The cheapest subscriptions for Netflix, Stan and Spotify are about $ 10 a month. But people are paying much, much less than that. Many people share services with partners or friends. Some share with friends of friends. And others share with their former partner's family their family - whom they've never actually met.

Kate We never log out, Kate said. Her former roommate signed in once with her family account on a shared TV and it was: Netflix for free in the near future, all for the price of some dud movie recommendations. He was really actionable and really had blokey content - not my cuppa. Fortunately, no Adam Sandler recommendations have been made, she said.

Jane had a similar experience. She and her older sister used his boyfriend. She was furious about it, Jane Jane said. She felt betrayed and used.

Jane didn mean any harm. She didn't think it would matter. I really think subscription services are considered a shared commodity, she said. I use my sister, Netflix, she uses my Stan, my two friends use Hayu and I use my friend Disney Disney +.

I gave my Stan to so many people that my friend told me, 'Hey, we have Stan on our own, thank you for letting us use yours for the past two years,' and I'm like , 'Do you use it? '

If Seinfeld is still active by 2020, it will have an episode on subscription sharing. Everyone does that, but no one can completely agree on social norms. Do you need to be close to someone to share an account with? Can that person pass the login? What is the big deal or the profitability of the service? Can an old person continue to use an account after a breakup? When do you add a new partner profile?

Jordan told me that he still shared his Netflix and Stan accounts with his ex ex mum because, as she said, "it's not my fault, you broke up. I should still use I can argue with that logic, he said.

A woman told me that she used her old Foxtel account for 18 months after the break up, before he stopped paying his bill: He was always terrible with money. Ruining my life again. Another said that she still shares Netflix with her ex-husband: He uses it more than he sees his children, whom we also share.

It's no mystery why this happens: getting people to pay for online content has never been this easy, especially for younger generations who have grown up with unprecedented access to free streaming. bulk file and / or file sharing. A 2018 survey from media research firm Magid found that 42% of Gen Z and 35% of millennials shared passwords for streaming services, compared with 19% for Gen X and 13% for baby boomers.

A millennium told me that she thought of it in the same way as when a person often bought a magazine and then turned it away to look like four others reading. But, for Kate, it is always a weighed decision. I don't feel bad about companies like Netflix, who hardly pay taxes in Australia, but Stan (under Nine) is a little different because it supports local content. I also do not share my news login information as the press needs as much support as possible.

Jack shares his Netflix, Spotify and Stan accounts with his girlfriend and family, and Optus Sport with his girlfriend soccer coach. I was annoyed when cutting content on so many platforms, forcing you to get more and more specific extras, he said. I don't want to pay for an extra for football.

So, is this really allowed? And do companies plan to do anything about it? Those are two very different questions.

Stan says you must keep your account details private and not share them. According to its premium package, you can watch on four screens at once. Netflix says that accounts may not be shared with individuals outside your household. It maintains your right to terminate or restrict your use if you violate these terms of use. Both companies have been approached to comment, but did not respond.

Netflix, historically, wasn't too worried about controlling this rule. The company is big enough to share a subscription that hasn't driven their profits soaring and they even recognize its potential as a tool to build more subscribers in the long run. But recently, that tone has changed.

In October 2019, product manager, Greg Peters, said Netflix was watching the situation and looking for consumer-friendly ways to push into [its] aspects. This is around the time Spotify announced its suppression of family planning users, to ensure they shared home addresses. It was also a few weeks before the launch of massive streaming rival Disney +.

With increasing competition, some media commentators say it is only a matter of time before investors pressured companies to chase this revenue. But there's no guarantee it will result in more cash.

I can pay Optus on my own, if I get fired, Jack says. 100 years old I just watch a few outstanding football.

MW