Yes, you are able to share logins for your streaming accounts, but the exact rules vary from company to company. Penalties for breaking these rules are typically murky and mild. There’s little evidence any companies have taken legal action for casual sharing, but it’s more serious for people stealing accounts or sharing with many people for profit.
If you’re worried, start by checking the terms of service for each company to see if they specify who you can or cannot share with (we break some down below). Most will use the term “household,” but the companies we spoke to largely declined to say if that definition included close family living elsewhere, or if people had to share the same primary addresses a certain amount of time. Some specifically allow sharing with immediate family regardless of location, such as HBOMax and Apple TV Plus. (Netflix has come out to say “household” means you share the same primary address most of the time, which would rule out college kids, second homes, and possibly anyone who travels full-time for work.)
There’s been an industry-wide lax approach to account-sharing enforcement, and it’s created an odd situation for many TV watchers who mix and match logins with family or friends. The companies are vague about what they enforce and how, and have a history of embracing sharing accounts to build up buzz and user numbers. They could be keeping the door open to cracking down if and when it’s better for business.
We asked the top eight streaming services if and how they enforce account sharing.
