Netflix Australia changes as an urgent warning is issued

Netflix is cracking down on subscription sharing in Australia with new technology to stop password sharing. 

The move will be a major blow to the thousands of families that share their login details – and the cost of a subscription – with grandparents, siblings and children who no longer live at home. 

The popular streaming service made the announcement for more than 100 countries including Australia this week.

Netflix will crack down on sharing by using the user’s IP address to determine how many devices are using their account at their home and elsewhere. 

Australian account holders will receive an email with details informing them of the changes on Wednesday.

The email says that an account should only be used in one household. 

A new payment plan will allow users to add an ‘extra member’ to Standard or Premium plans for an additional $7.99 a month. 

While this is certainly a pain for customers who share their account with others, it is still a cheaper option than creating two separate accounts. 

The global crackdown on password sharing comes after the streaming giant revealed more than 100million customers were sharing their account.

Netflix explained this practice could impact ‘our ability to invest in great new TV and films’.

The streaming giant already brought through these changes to Canada and New Zealand back in February.

It resulted in a backlash from these countries, where the streaming giant saw a sudden drop in subscriber numbers.

Netflix found the numbers bounced back after a period of time, with customers subscribing to the ‘extra member’ option.

The streaming service is expecting the same response will emerge in Australia once the changes are implemented.

It’s not yet known when the changes will take place in the country.

The streaming giant will use a customer’s IP address to determine how many devices are using their Netflix account (stock image)

Netflix will send an email to Australian customers similar to the one pictured above that will explain the changes

The monthly price of a subscription in Australia starts at $6.99 a month to watch the service’s movie and TV offering with advertisements and 1080p video quality.

Users can pay an additional $4 per month for a basic plan without any advertisements and 720p video quality.

At $16.99 a month, subscribers can get ad-free viewing with 1080p video.

Premium subscribers pay a whopping $22.99 a month for the highest video quality including 4K and HDR video.

The incoming changes will bring the cost for Premium users up to $30.98 a month.