Netflix has begun its crackdown on UK and US subscribers who are sharing their password with people who live outside their household, in a bid to stop account sharing.

The streaming giant said a Netflix account was “for use by one household” and those wanting to share accounts “with someone who doesn’t live with you” must pay an extra £4.99 for the extra member in the UK, or $8 a month in the US.

It comes after the company, which has lost subscribers amid stiffer competition and rising inflation, began clamping down on account sharing last year in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, before rolling out the extra member subscription in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain in February.

Netflix said it has begun sending emails to customers in the UK about sharing between households.

A statement said: “Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are – at home, on the go, on holiday – and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices.

“We recognise that our members have many entertainment choices.

“It’s why we continue to invest heavily in a wide variety of new films and TV programmes – so whatever your taste, mood or language and whoever you’re watching with, there’s always something satisfying to watch on Netflix.”

An attached screenshot of the email detailed how customers could share their accounts.

Netflix previously said it was comfortable with users sharing their passwords, with the company making a joke on Twitter in 2017 that said: “Love is sharing a password”.