The end of account sharing has been hard on Netflix Canada customers. Beyond those who shared their account with a stranger, it is the families whose student children were using the family access that find themselves the most penalized. However, there are still some methods to share Netflix for free that we will reveal to you, other services try to recover the disgruntled customers, but there are parallel services of diffusion that are free and legal.
Why the end of sharing?
Netflix Canada has long relied on account sharing to grow, not hesitating to praise this practice, the oldest streaming service has reached its critical development point. It’s hard for the company to move forward, while unsubscribing customers unhappy with programs or rate increases have been making headlines long before the decision to end account sharing.
According to Netflix, by the end of 2022, Netflix had more than 220 million accounts with 100 million sharing their passwords.
How to still share your Netflix account?
It’s still possible to share Netflix Canada, but it requires some computer knowledge or having tens of thousands of dollars to spend on a Tesla.
Let’s say it right away, the first method will require some computer knowledge, but there’s no need to invest in a computer, even a Raspberry Pie is capable of it. The goal is first to set up your IP address with Netflix Canada. Usually, Netflix does this from a TV, but it doesn’t matter as long as your TV and computer share the same IP address. You then need to install a VPN on your computer and configure it to authorized remote computers. Then you just need to connect to the remote computer via a takeover software and go to Netflix via the browser. This method still requires an uplink data rate of at least 10 MB/s.
The second method is the most expensive but is also the easiest to set up. If you are the proud owner of a Tesla and it is set as your primary account, Netflix always “allows” account sharing. This means your family can continue to watch Netflix by logging into your account without you having to pay anything extra.
Another more complicated, but feasible method is to use a multi-core processor and create up to four virtual computers (Netflix’s screen limit is four). Each virtual computer will have its own VPN and can be remotely controlled, again allowing Netflix to be shared.
Which video services still allow sharing?
Several streaming services still allow you to share your password. Be careful though, these services are currently growing and password sharing allows them to go after this growth as it served Netflix in its time. Eventually, these services will reach a ceiling of users and will have no choice but to use the same methods as Netflix and require unique access. For example, this is the case with HBO, whose CEO John Stankey confirmed during the Q1 2022 earnings call that HBO has the technical means to curb password sharing.
Here are the services that still allow password sharing:
- Prime Video
- Disney+
- Apple+
- HBO
- Crunchyroll
Can we still find internet subscriptions with free Netflix?
If Netflix was offered in the past for a period of six months when subscribing to a television service, this is no longer the case in Canada. Rogers, for example, offers six months of Disney+ when you subscribe to its Élan service. Bell, on the other hand, prefers to offer two months of Crave as well as discounts and two-month subscriptions to channels such as Super Channel.
What TV services are available for free in Canada?
Beyond paid broadcasting services like Netflix or Prime Video, several broadcasting services are available for free in Canada. Of course, their model is based on advertising. However, non-English speaking French speakers will be less happy because many of these channels, with the exception of Tou.TV and the National Film Board of Canada, are in English.
National Film Board of Canada: Available for free in English and French, this public channel bases its programs on a more cultural aspect. It offers many reports, but also an educational channel, but the subjects cover only a few recurrent themes. However, it is not possible to activate the English subtitles on a report in French and vice versa. You must select the language of the site on the left side of the screen.
CBC Gem: The broadcasting service of the public channel CBC offers rich content, more varied than Tou.TV in terms of series. Of course, all the programs produced by the CBC can be listened to offline. A $4.99 per month subscription is also available and allows access to more content. The only regret is that, like Tou.TV which does not have English subtitles and CBC does not have French subtitles.
Tou.TV: Radio Canada’s broadcasting service has two packages, one of which is paid. The free version allows access to programs broadcast on Radio Canada as well as to some movies and includes advertising. The paid version for $7 per month adds series broadcast on Radio Canada as well as additional programs from Télé Québec, RTBF, TV5, Ici Explora and France Télévision. However, the service is only available in French and does not include English subtitles.
PlutoTV: this free streaming service offers many famous series for free like NCIS, Sponge Bob and even the first 21 seasons of South Park. Of course, this service is financed by advertising and there are two types of broadcasting. Live TV has many programs that are broadcast at specific times like traditional TV. The on-demand programs can be watched at your convenience, like the formula offered on platforms like Netflix.
Tubi TV: Owned by Fox, Tubi TV offers a large selection of movies, but also series and reports. Everything is free and financed by advertising.
CTV allows access to many series and shows for free. If many series are already available without registering, CTV allows you to watch additional programs if you log in to your account. The programs include 4 commercial breaks per episode, excluding the commercials that appear at the beginning and end of the series. Each break contains four commercials of 14 to 15 seconds each,
What are the broadcast services included in TVs worth?
There are many videos on YouTube that showcase the free applications available in today’s TVs. The only problem in Canada is that most of these videos come from the United States and many of the channels featured, such as Vizio’s WatchFree, are unavailable in Canada for legal reasons.
LG
LG offers a free streaming service that focuses more on shows. XXX COPS, broadcasting in 720p is a real liability, and even more so if you’re listening to them on one of their OLED TVs. The quality of the 4K OLED screens on LG TVs is way too high and close to perfect for a quality as low as 720p if not lower… It’s, of course, listenable, but when you store for a TV at this price, it’s precisely in order to exploit it and to take your eyes full of it with a faithful reproduction, and not with images that pixelate and whose colours drool.
The quality of the content is quite poor. We won’t go back to the omnipresent and obligatory advertising to ensure free access and tastes being subjective, we are faced with rather old content that can certainly pass very well to have a background. It seems to be present mainly to exist and it’s a pity because Samsung does it better at little cost. Beyond the lack of interest, it is important to note that these channels are only offered in English in Canada.
Samsung
Samsung also offers several channels available for free on its connected TVs. Unlike LG whose content is extremely poor, Samsung offers Canadian channels such as CBC or Radio Canada. It is therefore possible to listen to the news and several local programs. We also appreciated the interface similar to that of Bell Fibe TV which allows you to see at a glance the channels and programs available.
Sony
The Japanese giant doesn’t bother with its own channels and has instead entrusted this part to Google TV. So you get all the benefits of a Chromecast Ultra since it is integrated into the brand’s TVs. You’ll have access to many free and paid channel applications.
TCL
The Chinese manufacturer does not offer an in-house channel like Samsung or LG but benefits from a partnership with Roku to include their technology in their TVs. Roku offers a free channel financed by advertising. Otherwise, Roku allows Google TV to download many applications from free and paid broadcasters.
Why should you run away from most Android boxes?
We’ll make it simple except for the Google Chromecast, Amazon’s Firestick, Roku boxes, and the NVIDIA SHIELD, run away from all Android boxes of unknown brands on sale on Amazon.
Despite their nice promises, the quality is far from being there. They may boast of being Ultra HD, but they are unable to display the promised 8K or 4K, we are rather on 720p. While they do allow you to watch content online and have dedicated applications for popular broadcast services, they are also good at sending all your activities and programs to servers located in China.
