Netflix Expands Password Sharing Crackdown to MENA Region, Excludes Extra Member Option

Bad news for Moroccan households subscribed to Netflix. The platform has extended its password restrictions to the MENA region, reports Arab News. Unlike users in French-speaking countries who should now pay a surcharge of 5.99 euros to share their access code to the service with people who are not part of their household, MENA region users will not have this option. "In these markets, we do not offer an additional member option as we have recently reduced prices in a number of these countries (e.g. Indonesia, Croatia, Kenya and India) and penetration is still relatively low in many of them, so we have a lot of runway without creating additional complexity," Netflix said in a statement.

The fight against password sharing began last year, particularly in Canada. It aims to generate more revenue from users. The company stated in a press release that up to 100 million households worldwide use an account they do not pay for, "which affects our ability to invest in great movies and TV shows."

This fight is already bearing fruit. "Let’s face it, the crackdown is working," said Louis Navellier, chief investment officer of Navellier and Associates. On Wednesday, Netflix reported that streaming media subscriptions had increased by nearly 6 million since the implementation of these restrictions. The streaming giant ended the recently completed quarter with a total of 238 million subscribers and a profit of $1.5 billion, a press release said.