Netflix Tests Per-User Pricing

Netflix is trying out a new payment scheme that will make users pay for each screen they want to stream to simultaneously. Some new customers are being asked to choose between a one-user, one-screen option for $6.99, a two-screen plan for $7.99, and a four-screen plan for $11.99, Bloomberg reports. The move seems to be an effort to crack down on account sharing and generate more revenue from families.

The risk, of course, is that some users on the current $7.99-per-month standard streaming plan would downgrade to $6.99. "That all comes out of their profit margin," says one analyst. "This is not the next pricing move investors were expecting." But the Verge notes that the $6.99 option is for standard definition viewing only, which could turn off many HD-loving customers. "Not everyone will see this and we may never offer it generally," a spokesperson added, while confirming that some users are also seeing a $9.99 three-screen option. (More Netflix stories.)