While January was notoriously dreary for the general population, Netflix had occasion to celebrate. The streaming behemoth bested its forecast and added 5.8 million subscribers in Q4 2016. 1.43 million subscribers were added in the US alone, outpacing the company’s prediction of 1.15 million. Netflix attributes the surge to compelling new releases, like Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and Luke Cage.
Netflix lets the public know its overall subscriber size, but what about viewers? Although it’s (technically) been ruled illegal, many streaming service subscribers share passwords with friends and family. Netflix revealed data around viewership of original content, such as Orange is the New Black, but we wanted to investigate on average, how many users may be using a single Netflix account.
There are certainly other ways to ask this question, but we started with viewers per household.
At least 72% of Netflix households have more than one user on the account.
It’s most common for homes to share an account with a couple. Naturally, married people are more likely to answer “Another person and I use one Netflix account.”
Those who responded that 4+ people use Netflix are more likely to be between 18-34 years old–putting them solidly in the collegiate, young professional category. It’s not surprising roommates share Netflix accounts, but it’s surprising 5 or more people use a single account.
“I don’t use Netflix, but other household members use it,” tells a different story. These respondents are more likely to be over 55 years old. These are likely parents with a Netflix account for spouses/children.
It’s no secret Netflix users share their account passwords, allowing multiple people to use the same account. However, the system blocks users from streaming content when too many viewers use a single account.
As it stands now, Netflix allows users to stream from 4 different locations in the company’s premium plan. Considering our data shows that 24% of households have at least four Netflix users, it might want to consider adding a price per seat plan, similar to Amazon Prime’s Family Plan or Spotify family.
The 18-34 demographic might not be willing to pay for an entire plan on their own, but given their media streaming habits, they would be more willing to contribute a few bucks once a month to a Netflix family plan, where they can stream without limits.
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