Millions of Netflix users have warned they will have to pay extra if they’re caught sharing their “next year” password.

NETFLIX has been threatening to end password sharing for some time, and it looks like the crackdown will really start as early as next year.

More than 100 million users are believed to be watching the popular streaming service with an account they don’t own.

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And after a tough year of subscriber losses, Netflix sees this as an opportunity to change its fortunes.

The Stranger Things creator has apparently put off the idea for years, they say Wall Street Journal.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings reportedly told senior executives earlier this year that a huge surge caused by Covid lockdowns has masked the true scale of the problem – and that they’ve waited too long to address it.

Now the company is finally preparing to address the issue, starting with the US in early 2023, they say.

Billpayers who share their account are being asked to cough up extra – although it’s not entirely clear how the changes will be enforced yet.

The company will use things like IP addresses and device IDs to determine who is sharing their account and analyze account activity.

Netflix has already tested add-ons in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.

Users caught there will have to shell out around £2.70/$2.70 on top of their monthly subscription fee.

The streaming giant has already made some big changes to address the issue.

A new feature has already been launched that allows users to segregate their profile with all your favorites and recommendations intact on your own payment account.

But the biggest of the bunch was the introduction of a new subscription plan to support ads.

Netflix Basic with Ads, which started in November, is £4.99 / $6.99.

The company says viewers can expect to see around four minutes of advertising per hour on average.

Aside from the ads themselves, there are other limitations.

Some shows and films are missing due to licensing issues, such as Happy Gilmore, American Pie, and Mr Bean’s Holiday.

The company recently told The Sun that it is working to lift those restrictions.

It is claimed that available titles account for an average of 85 to 95 percent of viewers, depending on the country.

Another big difference is that you only get a maximum video quality of 720p and you can only use the account to watch one screen at a time.

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