Netflix is testing the ability to transfer profiles between accounts
This is why Netflix’s new test is something a lot of people will love. We can’t always rest assured that our data will be safe on one account. Maybe you’re using your friend’s account, and that friend decides to cancel. Maybe you’ve wracked up a ton of people on your account and you want them to get their own accounts. Whatever the case, Netflix is testing the ability to transfer profiles between accounts. Netflix announced this in a new blog post. It outlines that people will have the ability to uproot their profile and plop it down on another account. When this happens, that profile’s watch history, My List, and recommendations will be moved. This means that if you’re on someone else’s account, and you decide to get your own, you won’t need to start over.
We don’t know when this will be official
Netflix mentioned that this feature isn’t available to the public just yet. It will be testing them over the next couple of weeks in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. There’s no telling when this will reach the public, unfortunately.
Let’s not mince words, this is about money
While being able to safely preserve your profile is nice, it’s not the primary reason behind this new feature. Netflix, in the blog, stated that sharing accounts with people outside the household is “impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.” This makes sense, as a lot of people hop onto one account and watch the content for free. Streaming the content to the viewer actually costs Netflix money, so streaming content to multiple people on one paid plan does cost the company a fair bit of coin. Transferring profiles between accounts is a way to encourage people to get their own plans and pay for their own content. Ostensibly, the options to move a full profile will help some people hope onto their own accounts.
