American streaming service Netflix has launched a new feature called ‘profile transfer’ which will enable users with an existing account to easily switch to a new account without having to create a new profile.
This feature seeks to prevent users’ personal data from being erased such as customized recommendations, viewing history, list of favorite shows/movies, and other settings that could be painful to lose when they get to start from scratch.
The feature which is currently being rolled out will notify subscribers via email when the feature becomes available on their accounts. Once it is available, users can go to their profile icon on the Netflix homepage and find the “Profile Transfer” option. With this feature, Netflix gives users the option to turn it off whenever they want to.
The streaming service company is also pitching this feature for users who can’t or no longer want to share an account with someone else in the same household.
The company said in a press release “People move. Families grow. Relationships end. But throughout these life changes, your Netflix experience should stay the same.
“Today, we’re launching Profile Transfer, a feature that lets people using your account transfer a profile keeping the personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games, and other settings when they start their membership.”
Investors King understands that one major reason behind why Netflix launched this feature could be a move to take down password sharing which has greatly affected the revenue of the company
In April this year, Netflix disclosed that it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of the year, and said it expected to lose two million more in the second quarter.
The subscriber loss was partially attributed to account sharing, as Netflix estimates that 222 million paying households are sharing with an additional 100 million households that are not being monetized which is taking a toll on its revenue.