Amazon's Prime Video trolls Netflix over password-sharing crackdown

Amazon's Prime Video streaming service has taken aim at Netflix over its password-sharing crackdown – and viewers can't get enough of it.

Netflix has made it clear to customers that accounts are for them and the people they live with, and is notifying users that they must pay an extra £4.99 a month if they want to share their account with someone outside their homes.

In response, Prime Video's official UK Twitter account tweeted a screenshot of the profile selection page which asks "Who's watching?"

Read more: 'Cancel Netflix account’ searches soar amid password sharing crackdown

Each profile had a word instead of a name, and put together the words said “Everyone Who Has Our Password”, along with a heart emoji.

The “Everyone” was circled to emphasise the point.

Prime Video also cited a 2017 tweet from Netflix, which said: “Love is sharing a password."

The light-hearted jab went down a storm, with people tweeting crying with laughter emojis.

“Shots fired!” quipped one person, while another said the streaming giant had been “roasted”.

“Amazon clapped Netflix so damn hard lol,” said somebody else.

“Omg, the shade :)),” tweeted one person, as another laughed: “Haha. Well done Amazon. This is epic.”

“Damn whoever manages this account is a savage for this hahahaha,” another user remarked.

When one person said that the tweet was “why Prime Video is better”, the company responded: “Not better just looser!”

Why is Netflix clamping down on password sharing?

Prime's zinger comes after Netflix, 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.

Online searches for “cancel Netflix account” have since skyrocketed by 2,939% in the UK amid its crackdown.

Comparison site KingCasinoBonus said other searches that have seen a surge include "Cancel Netflix subscription" (2,400%), "Cancel Netflix" (753%) and "Delete Netflix" (705%).

Prime Video and Netflix differ in that while they are both streaming services, streaming is Netflix’s entire business. Prime Video is owned and operated by Amazon, so is just one part of the e-commerce giant.

Blockbuster has also chimed in

Blockbuster has also weighed in with a joke of its own.

A few hours after Prime Video's tweet, the company posted on its US Twitter account: "A friendly reminder that when you used to rent videos from us.

"We didn’t care who you shared it with… As long as you returned it on time. @netflix."

Read more: Netflix password sharing: What are the new rules?

Earlier this week Netflix posted a statement online which read: “Starting today, we will be sending this email to members who are sharing Netflix outside their household in the United Kingdom.

“A Netflix account is for use by one household.

“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 ways customers could share their accounts.

These included allowing users to “transfer a profile” to a “new membership that they pay for” or buying an extra member for the price of £4.99 extra per month.

Watch: Netflix password crackdown: What analysts are saying