Netflix's new password sharing rules trigger "breakup talks" among users

Gone are the days when Netflix users could freely share their passwords with family and friends outside their homes.

Netflix's new password sharing rules aim at attracting new subscribers and increasing the streaming giant's revenue, but it has led to what some users are calling "breakup talks."

The Wall Street Journal collected several stories of such frustrated users in an article "They Stopped Sharing Their Netflix Password. Is Family Therapy Next?"

For example, Jennifer Jones, 42, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, recently broke the news to her Netflix followers in a Facebook post. In an apology, she told them she could no longer share her account, even though her mother had raised her to share. Even her own mother found herself cut off from the account. Jones had to have an in-depth phone conversation with her family during Memorial Day weekend to explain that it wasn't personal, but a new Netflix policy.

Netflix has long allowed password sharing, with more than 100 million households using someone else's login. However, the company now restricts sharing to a maximum of two people outside of the account holder's household, with an additional cost for each slot depending on the plan. This has led to difficult decisions for many families.

Netflix's new password sharing rules have the following key points:

• no sharing outside of the household, defined as individuals living under the same roof;
• users with the $15.49-per-month standard plan can pay $7.99 per month to share their account with one person; and those on the $19.99-per-month premium plan can pay $7.99 per month each for up to two additional members.

Users who have been kicked off the account have the option to request the main account holder to transfer their profile and viewing history to a new account.