Netflix broadens its global crackdown on password sharing

The United States and over 100 other countries are now included in Netflix Inc.'s crackdown on password sharing.

The company has warned users that their accounts cannot be freely shared with people outside of their homes.

The market leader in streaming video has been attempting to find new revenue streams as it sees signs of market saturation, with initiatives like password borrowing restrictions and a new ad-supported option.

On Tuesday, Netflix announced that it was emailing customers in 103 nations and territories, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Mexico, and Brazil, about account sharing.

A Netflix account should only be used in a single household, according to the emails. Customers who have paid an additional fee can add a member who lives outside of their homes. The price is $8 per month in the USA.

Additionally, users can transfer their profile so they can keep their viewing history and recommendations.

Last year, Netflix announced that it would restrict account sharing and that it was experimenting with different methods in a few markets.

More than 100 million households, based on the company's estimate, had shared their log-in credentials with friends and family members outside of their homes. As of the end of March, there were 232.5 million paying Netflix subscribers worldwide.

According to the new rules, members of the same household can continue to share a Netflix account and utilize it while travelling on a variety of devices.