We all have them. Friends or family members who we gave our Netflix passwords to. Now though it looks like Netflix is going to crack down on our over-sharing! Last week, a software firm Synamedia, unveiled their AI (Artificial Intelligence) system designed to combat sharing. It can track down accounts that have been sharing login information with another.
The system cleverly uses geolocation software and analyses the data to determine which accounts are logged in at any one time and from where. So if I watch something in one room and my child watches a show in other that's fine. But if my friend logs in from her house a few miles away then uh-oh. It's a pretty clear indication that I've shared my log-in details!
And why are Netflix so concerned? That's easy. It's money. Or more importantly, money that they losing when people use shared credentials rather than subscribing themselves. As the number of Netflix users continues to grow, that translates to more people who aren't paying.
With an estimated 35% of millennials share passwords for streaming services, that's million of dollars that Netflix are missing out on.
And it's not just regular subscribers who can be tracked and given a slap on the wrist. The AI technology can also detect when services are being used by businesses. For instance, bars that have viewing parties for certain shows. Like other viewing services such as Sky or BT (in the UK) these places could potentially be charged a lot more in fees.
Likewise for parents who share with their kids who no longer live at home. Approximately 42% of them will share their password with their kids who are at college or have recently moved out. If Netflix could convert all of them into account holders their bottom line would increase by hundreds of million of dollars a year.
While Netflix haven't suggested any plans to implement the AI yet, you can bet that it won't be long before they do!
