Swapping streams: 'Subscription services are supposed to be a shared commodity'

Sharing the passwords to streaming services is commonplace, but while the etiquette of doing so is undefined, the terms of service are clear

The cheapest subscriptions to Netflix, Stan and Spotify are about $10 a month. But people are paying much, much less than that. Many share the services with partners or friends. Some share with friends of friends. And others share with their housemate's ex-partner's family - who they have never actually met.

"We just never logged out," says Kate. Her housemate's ex signed in once with his family account on the sharehouse TV and that was it: free Netflix for the foreseeable future, all for the price of some dud movie recommendations. "He was really into action and really blokey content - not my cuppa at all. Luckily, no Adam Sandler recommendations ever came up," she says.