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Android smartphone users no longer have the privilege of watching movies for free on Netflix; they must subscribe if they wish to continue accessing content on the platform.
In early October 2023, many Netflix subscribers in Vietnam started receiving notifications about “upcoming changes to the membership status of the service” through the email addresses they had registered for their free accounts on this online streaming platform. According to this announcement, the free policy for smartphone Android subscribers will cease to exist starting from November 1, 2023.
After that date, current account holders will no longer be members of this service and won’t be able to continue using it unless they upgrade to a paid subscription, which starts at 70,000 Vietnamese dong per month. Users who wish to cancel their subscription don’t need to take any action; the company will automatically revoke their membership when the free viewing program ends.
Netflix stops free packages, Vietnamese users have the option to sign up for a subscription with prices from 70,000 VND/month
The free subscription was introduced in November 2021 but was exclusively available to Android smartphone users. Vietnam is the second market in the world to benefit from this offer, following Kenya. The free subscription came with certain limitations, such as access only to Netflix Original content and other restricted content, along with lower resolution suitable only for smartphone screens. Users also couldn’t use this type of account on devices other than Android smartphones.
The free service has stopped accepting new member registrations after being in place for two years. This change is believed to be part of Netflix’s plan to boost revenue and the number of subscribers on the platform.
Since July 2023, Netflix has tightened its account sharing policy in Vietnam. Many TV service users have been required to verify that they live with the account owner to continue accessing desired content. Shared accounts are identified through IP addresses and device IDs, as well as user activity. Therefore, if not residing with the account owner, profiles will receive constant verification prompts whenever they want to watch a movie.
The previous tightening of policies has yielded significant results on a global scale. Netflix’s financial report for July showed that in the second quarter of 2023, they gained an additional 5.9 million new accounts, with the US and Canada experiencing the most growth since 2021.
@Thanhnien.vn
