Netflix to eliminate profiles, instigate roommate feuds
For the past two years, my roommate and I have split a Netflix user account, mostly so that I don't have to deal with his trashy action-movie picks mucking up my queue of navel-gazing Wes Anderson knockoffs, and so that we can ensure a clean split in our four-at-a-time subscription. He'd totally hog it otherwise.
But starting on September 1, we're going to have to suck it up. The rental-by-mail service announced on its blog on Thursday that it would be doing away with separate user profiles on the same account.
The reason, the post explained, is that it's a little-used feature that some people found complicated: only a percent of Netflix members use it. "We will do our best to find better ways for families to share accounts than the existing profiles feature," it read, "and will continue to invest in improving the Web site experience in many different ways."
So maybe a new kind of split-household account is on the way, but for now, my roommate and I are going to have to either share a password (which could raise security concerns for some people) or pay for two separate accounts (which will cost more for both of us). Customized recommendations will be directed to both of us rather than our individual accounts, which means--eek!--that I'm going to see Meet the Spartans recommended to me instead of Flight of the Conchords.
Lousy move, Netflix.
A thread on feedback forum Get Satisfaction revealed that other people aren't too happy either. Some raised concerns that they could no longer operate separate queues with parental controls for their children, and others expressed plights similar to mine--they share accounts with roommates or housemates who have vastly different cinematic tastes.
"Way to go, Netflix, I'll just be canceling the service at this point," one user wrote. "I specifically upgraded to the four-at-a-time service to split out the queues for my wife and myself. I'm not going to pay for another separate account."
And if you've been using separate Netflix profiles as a way to cloak your porn habit (or chick-flick habit) from your spouse, get ready. You'll have some explaining to do come September.
For Netflix to drop this feature without an equivalent replacement is a bit odd. Their explanation was also a bit lacking. If they have the technology already in place and paid for, and movie deliveries have been smooth why drop it?
Perhaps Netflix needs to explain this a bit better.
The PR spin is lame, they wouldn't remove functionality like this unless they thought it would increase revenue.
It's not NICE to limit subscriber choices Netflix!
It's not NICE to limit subscriber choices Netflix!
2 at a time is $14 a month.
Splitting a 4 at a time into 2 shared 2 at a times each is obviously $12 a month per person.
You spent an entire article complaining about $2 a month, 7 cents a day. If nobody uses the feature, then it's not worth it for Netflix to maintain it so some cheapskates can save 7 cents a day?
WWAAAAHHHH! If you can't trust your roommate to possibly steal your identity from all of your confidential papers lying around, why are you with your roommate in the same space? Either share an account or have your own account. No different than a credit card.