Netflix aims to curtail password sharing – and bring in ads

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE
AP Technology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An unexpectedly sharp drop in subscribers has Netflix considering changes to its service that it has long resisted: minimizing password sharing and creating a low-cost subscription supported by advertising. The looming changes announced late Tuesday are aimed at helping Netflix regain the momentum it’s lost during the past year as pandemic-driven lockdowns that kept people at home lifted and other services run by deep-pocketed rivals such as Apple and Walt Disney began to chip away at its vast audience. On Tuesday, Netflix suffered its first losses in subscribers in years, an unwelcome surprise that drove its stock down by 25%.