Netflix introduced on Monday a new feature, “Profile Transfer,” which lets users move their personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games and other settings from one account to another.
“People move. Families grow. Relationships end,” Netflix product manager Timi Kosztin blogged, touting the new feature. “But throughout these life changes, your Netflix experience should stay the same.”
The introduction of Profile Transfer comes with Netflix expecting a lot of current users to need it in the near-term future.
Wall Street has complained about the large number of Netflix users living outside account holders’ households as an issue the streaming company should look at for years. But with its growth stalled over the spring, Netflix has finally identified freeloaders as a problem it should try to solve.
Netflix is currently testing schemes in Latin America that charge account holders for users outside their domicile who are tapping into their account.
Undoubtedly, when this system is developed and rolled out globally, there will be a lot of displaced current Netflix users who will have to establish their own accounts. And Profile Transfer will allow them to do so in a somewhat cohesive manner. ■
