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Netflix, HBO and Other Cable Giants Are Coming for Password Cheats


steven36

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A coalition that includes Netflix Inc., HBO and cable-industry titans is stepping up efforts to crack down on password sharing, discussing new measures to close a loophole that could be costing companies billions of dollars in lost revenue each year.

 

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Programmers and cable-TV distributors are considering an array of tactics to cut off people who borrow credentials from friends and relatives to access programming without paying for it.

The possible measures include requiring customers to change their passwords periodically or texting codes to subscribers’ phones that they would need to enter to keep watching, according to people familiar with the matter.

 

 

Some TV executives want to create rules governing which devices can be used to access a cable-TV subscription outside the home. While someone logging in from a phone or tablet would be fine, someone using a Roku device at a second location could be considered a likely freeloader, one person said.

 

If none of those tactics work, pay-TV subscribers could someday be required to sign into their accounts using their thumbprints.

 

“I feel like I’m beating my head against the wall,” Tom Rutledge, the chief executive officer of Charter Communications Inc., said during an earnings call last month. “It’s just too easy to get the product without paying for it.”

 

But taking more aggressive measures poses risks. The people using services for free — especially younger consumers — may never agree to sign up for a subscription, no matter how many hassles they endure. That means companies would mostly just be alienating paying customers, who could get frustrated and stop using an app or cancel their service. In other words, there’s plenty of downside and possibly little upside.

 

“If you ask any cohort of young people if they will ever pay for Netflix or video services, the answer is unequivocally no,” said Mike McCormack, an analyst at Guggenheim Securities.

 

The pay-TV industry is projected to lose $6.6 billion in revenue from password sharing and piracy this year, according to Parks Associates. By 2024, the number could grow to $9 billion, the research firm said.

 

Two years ago, some of the biggest names in entertainment and technology formed a group called the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, which was devoted to reducing online piracy.

Last month, the group announced that it’s turning its attention to password sharing. Participants include Netflix, Amazon.com Inc., Walt Disney Co., Viacom Inc., AT&T Inc.’s HBO, Comcast Corp. and Charter.

 

 

There’s no consensus on where to draw the line.

 

Consumers can access streaming programming via apps from both distributors like Charter and programmers like Fox. As a result, both sides of the industry need to work together to solve the problem. Charter, which sells cable-TV service under the Spectrum brand, has said its recent distribution deals with Fox and Disney will help them address password sharing, but didn’t specify which measures they’d be taking.

 

While industry executives widely agree password sharing is a problem, there’s no consensus on where to draw the line. Programmers and distributors blame each other for being too lenient in how many people can simultaneously stream from one account. DirecTV and Comcast allow five streams. Fox and ESPN generally allow three.

 

Online TV services also vary in how generous they are about password sharing. Apple TV+, which launched Nov. 1, allows up to six people to stream from one family plan. Two upcoming services — AT&T’s HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock — aren’t ready to announce how many streams to allow, according to representatives for both companies. A spokeswoman for Disney+, which launches Nov. 12, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

 

 

Netflix allows just one stream for its basic plan and four streams for its most expensive service. Three years ago, CEO Reed Hastings said password sharing is “something you have to learn to live with, because there’s so much legitimate password sharing — like you sharing with your spouse, with your kids.”

 

Recently, there have been indications that the company may be reconsidering its tolerance. On an earnings call last month, Netflix Chief Product Officer Greg Peters said it is “looking at the situation” and seeking “consumer-friendly ways to push on the edges of that.”

 

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zanderthunder

No matter what they do to prevent password sharing, they will fail. Trust me.

 

If they wan't to tell users to give their IP details and MAC address to ensuring the content delivered only to the specified user and device, these can be faked easily.

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1 hour ago, Edward Raja said:

No matter what they do to prevent password sharing, they will fail. Trust me.

 

If they wan't to tell users to give their IP details and MAC address to ensuring the content delivered only to the specified user and device, these can be faked easily.

They already have your IP details  , just like this site does  and most any site you visit on the internet . Most streaming services  ban VPN  IPs already and so do other sites .  There is no way  you  can  go somewhere else and  change your ip to your home's  IP  only you can use a VPN or Proxy and change it to a VPNs or Proxy IP  many  are already banned anyways. . So what you say is impossible to achieve .Most people sharing passwords dont know nothing about computers no way if they did they would  just go pirate the  release from a warez or torrent site to begin with.  Downloading and streaming warez is just  a civil offense sharing passwords  is a federal crime in the USA. You can get in bad trouble for it .

https://qz.com/725825/a-us-court-rules-password-sharing-is-technically-a-federal-crime/

 

Even if you could figure a work around to fool  them what use is it?  When you can download or stream releases any were very easy and not be as much risk involved  . What there  going to do is drive people back to piracy , Only reason people use legal streaming to  begin with is because there less work and more convenient  than piracy when they start putting up road blocks and banning users and taking them to court it becomes  to much of a hassle for 99% of streaming pirates .  Streaming Pirates always have needed to be spoon fed  without someone holding there hand  and showing them or going to there  house and fixing it for them there stuff cease to work.

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Just now, Edward Raja said:

Lets see then how the future unfolds.

There is no future in DRM but being locked  in for a price. No different than cable companies and satellite Companies did by scrambling . The very reason they cut the cable to begin with. Smart people like me go watch IPTV for free and download and stream were the DRM is already removed .

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zanderthunder
Just now, steven36 said:

Smart people like me go watch IPTV for free and download and stream were the DRM is already removed .

And that's why people are so bored with cable/satellite TV nowadays.

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16 minutes ago, Edward Raja said:

And that's why people are so bored with cable/satellite TV nowadays.

I stop watching TV in like 2007 when i started back watching movies and TV shows in 2011 i only watch it via a computer from pirate sites we have satellite at my home i dont even use it.  I never bought  no steaming services . I only use legal free ones and pirate whats not legal at lest with streaming and downloading is only a civil offense . Most Noobs dont know that sharing  passwords can get you in more trouble than downloaing and streaming warez , Its like Pirate IPTV were they steal providers streams when it 1st came out everybody said dont use a vpn  because it slows you down then  the networks started tracking peoples IP and blocking them so using a VPN became the norm. Well Netfilx , Amazon , etc block most VPNs  I cant even watch FREEDRIVE with my VPN on .:hehe:

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zanderthunder
8 hours ago, steven36 said:

Most Noobs dont know that sharing  passwords can get you in more trouble

 

11 hours ago, steven36 said:

sharing passwords  is a federal crime in the USA. You can get in bad trouble for it .

 

Unfortunately, not all countries (including where I am living right now) doesn't have any related laws on considering password sharing as a crime, the very least they can tell is to not to share password information to other people. 

 

On 11/9/2019 at 6:50 AM, steven36 said:

Three years ago, CEO Reed Hastings said password sharing is “something you have to learn to live with, because there’s so much legitimate password sharing — like you sharing with your spouse, with your kids.”

 

Besides, there's not a fine line between legitimate password sharing and illegitimate password sharing, so making it complicated when it comes to enforcement. 

 

Even those at Lowyat Forum will agree with my opinion.

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zanderthunder
6 hours ago, bayer said:

THREE WORDS

2 FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

 

There was a discussion on why Netflix (and also might be applied to other streaming services) doesn't implement 2FA, but there will be a pros and cons of implementing 2FA method on streaming websites as well:

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/a5iywm/why_there_is_no_2_factor_authentication_on_a_big/

https://dev.to/dietertroy/discussion-why-doesn-t-netflix-one-of-the-most-shared-streaming-services-offer-2fa-two-factor-authentication-3c56's 

 

Also, if they wan't implement device limit cap like Astro GO (streaming service exclusive for Astro customers in Malaysia), they actually can but there are complaints from users regarding Astro GO regarding the device limit cap system. For instance, users can't even access the service from their device even though their device is already registered. So the real fault lies on their authentication system and DRM management on Astro's side.

 

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4279430/all

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4596059/all

 

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20 hours ago, Edward Raja said:

Besides, there's not a fine line between legitimate password sharing and illegitimate password sharing, so making it complicated when it comes to enforcement. 

Not really  it's up for them to decide , the Download service i pay for  dont care if you use vpn as long as its one of there approved  ones were whitelisted  ips  they  have a list  of vpn providers you can use , They dont care what device you use it on or your ip ,  because they use 2  factor were they will lock you out and send you email if you login with a  ip range that there system dont know you from or you can use Google authenticator .   . But if you try to use it on more than one device  at a time with 2 different IPs  they will ban you and they ban people who share passwords  all the time. you  have to buy 2 accounts to use it with 2 ips at once.

 

Google , Microsoft and Facebook locks people out and only way get back in is give them  a phone number on desktop  and on  smartphone they already have your phone number and know if it you or not.

 

Facebook  and Google it very hard to make a account without a cellphone number  to even sign up if your on desktop. With all the competition  fixing to come and already they losing costumers  they going to get very greedy soon .  All Freeloading comes to a end sooner or latter just  other sites and programs  take its place  . With Piracy you have to stay two steps ahead of them were if they mess something up it dont effect you because you have a bunch more places you can get it from.

 

Your better off wasting your  time finding free alternatives than  worrying about how  there going to get around sharing passwords when they crack down.

 

I been playing around with ICE  on Linux  were you can make your own webapps  with adblockers  and everything . I can tun any site into a webapp . :hehe:

 

As far as providers and different countries they use region blocking on all countries were if you buy a service in one country it dont have the same shows and  block many free services from other countries from using them and if they block VPNs  your just screwed most of the time. If you torrent or use warez sites you dont have these restrictions . You can stream or download torrents  and direct  downloads all day .

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15 hours ago, Edward Raja said:

 

There was a discussion on why Netflix (and also might be applied to other streaming services) doesn't implement 2FA, but there will be a pros and cons of implementing 2FA method on streaming websites as well:

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/a5iywm/why_there_is_no_2_factor_authentication_on_a_big/

https://dev.to/dietertroy/discussion-why-doesn-t-netflix-one-of-the-most-shared-streaming-services-offer-2fa-two-factor-authentication-3c56's 

 

Also, if they wan't implement device limit cap like Astro GO (streaming service exclusive for Astro customers in Malaysia), they actually can but there are complaints from users regarding Astro GO regarding the device limit cap system. For instance, users can't even access the service from their device even though their device is already registered. So the real fault lies on their authentication system and DRM management on Astro's side.

 

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4279430/all

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4596059/all

 

All these never gave a good explanation ... All are mere opinions..

If Google and FB could do it, Surely the Streaming services can easily do it

As I said Password sharing can easily be mitigated by 2FA.   Even with family accounts... The main owner can authorize devices  of  child accounts/profiles...

 

ACE is just around the corner.. Password Pirates will eventually run out of options

 

 

22 hours ago, Edward Raja said:

Unfortunately, not all countries (including where I am living right now) doesn't have any related laws on considering password sharing as a crime, the very least they can tell is to not to share password information to other people. 

That still is not an excuse

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