Netflix seems to have unshakeable faith in its product. In an unprecedented move, it’s all set to deactivate accounts that have been inactive for one year or more.
Netflix Product Manager Eddy Wu explained in an official statement:
“You know that sinking feeling when you realize you signed up for something but haven’t used it in ages? At Netflix, the last thing we want is people paying for something they’re not using.
“So we’re asking everyone who has not watched anything on Netflix for a year since they joined to confirm they want to keep their membership. And we’ll do the same for anyone who has stopped watching for more than two years.”
Users will get emails or in-app notifications from this week. Failing to confirm whether they want to continue would end up in cancellation.
Wu further explained that the move has been carefully assessed:
“These inactive accounts represent less than half of one per cent of our overall member base, only a few hundred thousand, and are already factored into our financial guidance.”
If users decide to rejoin within 10 months of cancellation, they’ll find “their favourites, profiles, viewing preferences and account details just as they left them”.
“We’ve always thought it should be easy to sign up and to cancel. We hope this new approach saves people some hard-earned cash,” he added.
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