Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has admitted she shares her Netflix password with four other households in the UK – against the streaming giant’s terms and conditions.

Appearing in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Thursday, Ms Dorries said four other people including her mother have access to her account.

Netflix terms and conditions state users must live together to share access to a paid-for account.

“My mum has access to my account, the kids do. I have Netflix but there are four other people who can use my Netflix account in different parts of the country,” Ms Dorries said.

Politics Hub: Sue Gray report likely to come next week

Describing the current subscriber system as “extremely generous”, she added: “Am I not supposed to do that?”

DCMS permanent secretary Sarah Healey added: “So many people watch it in my house I had to pay for the more expensive one.”

Channel 4’s ‘salad days are in the past’, culture secretary tells TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp in Twitter exchange

Channel 4 sale: Senior Tory Julian Knight asks if move to sell channel is ‘revenge’ for ‘biased coverage’ of Brexit

Government expected to sell Channel 4 as public ownership is ‘holding it back’

Last month, Netflix suffered its first subscriber loss in more than a decade, causing its shares to plunge 25% in extended trading.

But Ms Dorries said: “I think for people to even try and paint a picture that Netflix is unsuccessful or struggling is probably slightly over-egging the pudding. Netflix has done what many businesses do.

“It has reached the point of market saturation, which is a good thing for Netflix but they are going to have to revise their business model, and they will probably revise it in a way that will make it much more difficult for public service broadcasters who rely on advertising revenue.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Last month, the government reiterated its intention to privatise Channel 4 and outlined plans for streaming services to face tighter regulation.

Announcing plans to bring streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime under the control of Ofcom, the communications regulator, for the first time, Ms Dorries said the change will “protect audiences” from “harmful material”.

Ofcom would get the power to write a new video-on-demand code to level the rules with traditional broadcasters and impose fines of up to £250,000 or 5% of revenue for breaches.

The watchdog would also have a “strengthened duty” to assess age ratings of material.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has said privatising Channel 4, which is publicly owned, will remove restrictions that “effectively prohibit” it from selling its own content.

Related posts:

MP suspended for sexual misconduct told it would be ‘honourable’ to quit No apology for indulging Cameron as Sunak sees off select committee Greensill grilling Housing shortage will make it hard to accommodate Afghans, government warned Former MP rejoins Labour nearly two years after quitting over antisemitism No cases of new variant in UK – but ‘highly likely’ it has spread to other countries, Javid says ‘It’s going to be a great Christmas’: Defiant Javid defends not imposing stricter restrictions to combat new variant Have the last few wobbly weeks seen a turning point for Johnson as PM? ‘Concern’ over rise in over-50s admitted to hospital with COVID, minister says ‘We need to be more careful’ when it comes to transgender conversion therapy, Javid says Why Starmer’s pledge to quit if fined over beergate looks like a desperate gamble New laws targeting protesters and bonfire of EU legislation among plans to be set out in Queen’s Speech Patel accuses Labour MPs of defending ‘murderers, paedophiles, rapists, thugs’