“A pure and hard scam”: Quebecers explain why they are unsubscribing en masse from Netflix

MISE À DAY

“A ridiculous decision”, “too expensive”, “senseless”, “a pure and hard scam”: Quebec Netflix users do not go to any lengths to denounce the new controversial anti-sharing policy of the platform.

“When I saw the measures that Netflix was going to take against password sharing, I became furious! In addition, Netflix wants to use my personal data to find out where I am,” protests Nicolas Morneau, who shares his account with his brother and his parents.

Starting February 21, all platform subscribers will be forced to enter a permanent location, from which they can enjoy streaming services. For each additional address, they will have to pay an additional $7.99 per month.

Thank you for your email Netflix . As of Feb 21 you lost me as a customer and I am changing services to one of your competitors @netflix #Netflixcanada #Netflix #notsmart pic.twitter.com/QgAZT0GH8Z

— L (@Lilleefrom613) February 10, 2023

The Journalhas also received dozens of testimonials from disgruntled users who denounced the company's decision.

“It's a completely stupid move for students and even me, who is leaving home to live in an apartment, I don't necessarily have the money to pay $20.99/month for a subscription,” laments Vincent Corriveau.

On Twitter, the hashtag #BoycottNetflix quickly went viral. Recall that in 2017, the popular American streaming platform tweeted “Love is sharing a password” on its own account.

Love is sharing a password.

— Netflix (@netflix) March 10, 2017

A Trip…Next

It's time for “binge-watching” on the subway or at dinnertime, since Netflix's new rule forces users to stay in the comfort of their homes. There is also no longer any question of listening to Netflix on your next “date” if your boyfriend is not a subscriber. To watch your favorite series outside your home, you will need to request a travel code for temporary location.

This is what Mélanie Pelosse noticed on Friday afternoon, when she wanted to connect to her spouse's business. “I was asked to register a fixed address, while the business is 700 m from my home! It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she laments, sorry to have had to uninstall the application.

Several families who have shared an account for years have opted to go back to the basic plan, which does not allow them to share their password.

“I had a premium Netflix subscription which allowed me to allowed for multiple screens. My only goal was to be able to share the account with my mother who lives in France,” explains Lilian De Nicola.

With the new measures, she chose to switch to the basic package at 9, $99 per month. 

“I will slowly break away from Netflix and completely terminate my contract within the year. I hope this little mentality will do them a disservice in the future,” she adds.

Pay for groceries or pay for Netflix?

Already that Quebecers have to tighten their belts to be able to pay their rent, a new burden has been added to their shoulders. If the increase of $7.99 per month may seem trivial, you must also calculate the additional costs for the entire family.

Mélanie Pelosse, mother of four young adults, has gladly agreed to pay the family Netflix account to financially relieve her children in the apartment. In addition, she was assured that her grandson had access to her “men” as well.

“Despite the cost of living, I knew my children were saving by sharing the family account. Unfortunately, Netflix no longer meets my family's needs,” she says.

If she had kept her subscription, it would have cost $7.99 per month for each additional member on her account. An unacceptable change, according to the mother.

Evaluate your options

Competition is increasingly fierce between different platforms such as Netflix, Disney + and Amazon Prime. However, Netflix is ​​the company that offers the most expensive subscription, in addition to being the only one to practice an anti-consumer policy that prevents people from sharing an account outside their homes.

Éric de Montigny, digital strategist and blogger on the TikTok platform, has been analyzing the offer of the various streaming platforms in Canada for a few years now.

“Conglomerates like Disney, Warner Bros and Amazon can afford to losing money in the streaming business, while Netflix depends solely on subscription revenue from its platform. This is why the anti-sharing policy was created,” he explains in an interview with Le Journal.

Platforms compared

Here is the offer of the different streaming platforms in Canada for a package including simultaneous broadcasting on four screens and 4K resolution.

Netflix

• $20.99/month, an additional rate of $7.99 for loved one “out of home”.

< li dir="auto">Advantage: There are several iconic series like Stranger Things, Gilmore Girls and Wednesday.

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Disney+

• $11.99/month or $119.99/year.
• Good point: Big licenses that perform at the box office like Marvel, Avatar and Star Wars are powered by this platform.

Crave

• $19.99/month or $199.90/year.
• Advantage: The catalog from HBO is present there, as well as all the series attached to the very popular universe of Game of Thrones.

Amazon Prime

• $9.99/month or $99/year.
• Advantage: Many Quebecers have access to it via their subscription to get free delivery on Amazon.

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