Blockbuster Calls Out Netflix’s Password Sharing Policy
Blockbuster might be all-but-dead, but they're laughing at Netflix's new crackdown on password sharing from beyond the grave.
The once-revolutionary video rental chain only has one franchise location remaining, but their social media team is apparently still running based on a Thursday tweet by the company directed at their once-competitor.
A friendly reminder that when you used to rent videos from us. We didn’t care who you shared it with… As long as you returned it on time. @netflix — Blockbuster (@blockbuster) May 25, 2023
After months of speculation, Netflix officially informed customers on Tuesday that accounts will only be shared within one household. This policy change effectively puts an end to the long practice of friends and family splitting the cost of one account, often from different parts of the country.
This crackdown on password sharing is in response to growing competition and a recent loss in new subscribers, a first for the company in more than 10 years.
Since its founding in 1997, the company has emerged as a giant among men in the streaming service and completely transformed the entertainment industry over the past decade with award-winning original content. They've since been joined by services such as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and the newly renamed Max.
This boom in streaming came at the expense of Blockbuster, which in its prime boasted more than 9,000 locations and 80,000 employees. They suffered major losses throughout the late 2000s, eventually filing for bankruptcy in 2010 and being bought by Dish Network the following year.
Since 2019, Bend, Oregon, remains home to the last-standing franchised store.
The memo Netflix sent out to members said they can transfer a profile of someone outside their household so they can start their own membership on a separate payment plan or pay an extra $7.99 for every person outside their household using their account.
The company also said 100 million households share accounts, accounting for 43% of its global user base.
Source: NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
