Netflix is cracking down on password-sharing in Canada, and this month it’s starting to┬аcharge customers $7.99 a month for additional households wanting to use the same account.
While $8 a month may not seem like much, Netflix already raised prices recently, which means customers┬аcould end up paying up to┬а$37 a month for a service that in 2010 cost $8 per month.
High inflation and interest rates are already forcing people to make tough choices about where to spend their hard-earned money.┬а
Now, people across the country may have to have difficult conversations with friends and family members about whether they’re able, or willing to, spend that extra $96 a year to allow them to use their account.┬а
In some cases, people might be telling their account-sharing pals that they’ve decided to cancel the service altogether.
Watch | Netflix users react to password sharing fees:
It’s a talker, says counsellor
Counsellor Rupinder Sidhu said sharing streaming services actually comes up in sessions with clients┬аoften. She said┬аit’s not unusual for people to feel anxious about talking to a loved one about taking them off a streaming┬аsubscription.┬а
“It’s a concern for people,” said Sudhu, who is also the┬аClinical Director at Skylark Counselling Clinic in Abbotsford, B.C.
“You don’t want to rupture a relationship and talking about finances in general is just so uncomfortable.”
Sidhu advises people approach these uncomfortable conversations with┬аtransparency by┬аexplaining the situation honestly, whether it’s based on finances, use or something else.
Willow Verkerk, a Vancouver-based philosopher and┬аscholar who studies friendship, says the conversations will also vary┬аdepending on the type of relationship the account owner and subscription sharer have.
“$8 can be significant,” she said, emphasizing the constraints of the current economic climate.
“If you have a friendship that’s merely useful, in which it’s more contractual, then maybe that $8 plays a huge role,” she said.
“But if it’s a long-term relationship and you’ve been friends with someone … since childhood and there is a shared understanding maybe that $8 doesn’t have to matter so much, and maybe it’s worth some discomfort.”
Watch |┬аWhat’s behind Netflix’s move to stop account sharing:
Verkerk said a good way into the conversation is to ask the person how they’re doing in light of rising costs all around us.┬а
“You’re probably already familiar with that if they’re a close friend. They might already be familiar with your economically difficult situation and so you try and create a dialogue тАж of shared understanding,” Verkerk said.┬а
Sidhu suggests writing out what you want to say or send in a message beforehand to ensure the tone and messaging match what you are trying to get across.┬а
If it’s really stressing you out, Sidhu says you should tell the person that.┬а
“It’s very automatic then that the person you’re talking to is going to say ‘oh, you’re really upset about this. This must be something that’s really important. Let me listen before I jumped any conclusions.’ And so you kind of alleviate that for yourself too in calling out your emotions,” Sidhu said.┬а
Netflix isn’t backing down on password sharing! They’re targeting Canada, New Zealand and Spain… with more countries in the coming months. Time to cancel my membership!
—@jesuiselixir
Netflix has greatly overestimated its value. <br><br>Canada is one of the first countries being hit with extra charges for password sharing which means itтАЩs my time to cancel.<br><br>Bye ЁЯСЛЁЯП╗ тЬМЁЯП╗
—@PMaka1991
“Now you get to put that aside and have that conversation.”
And, if you’re on the receiving end of the Netflix password-sharing breakup, Sidhu said that while feelings of discomfort are valid, the person did not intend to hurt you.┬а
“Acknowledge the feelings for yourself, see if there’s anything that you can do about it, and then find a way to move through that pain. Whether it’s┬аa workout,┬аlisten to music, do something fun that’s going to distract you from that so you can come back to it at a later time with a bit of an easier mindset.”