Netflix to Begin Auto-Cancelling Inactive Accounts

Netflix is looking to cut down to its active accounts only, taking action to cancel accounts that have not been active in a long time. Netflix announced on Thursday that they will start notifying customers that accounts that have not been used within the past year will receive emails asking them if they would like to continue their subscription. If the customer answers no or does not respond, the subscription will be canceled.

Netflix product innovation director Eddy Wu noted that the goal is to make sure that people who have signed up for and are paying for the service without remembering such will not be consistently charged for something they aren’t using. Wu added that as is always the case, “anyone who cancels their account and then rejoins within 10 months will still have their favorites, profiles, viewing preferences and account details just as they left them.”

We noted that inactive accounts represent less than half of a percent of the service’s total member base, counting at only a few hundred thousand, and are “already factored into our financial guidance.”