NETFLIX are set to delete thousands of accounts around the world.

The streaming giant, known for its big-budget shows such as Stranger Things, Hollywood and The Crown, has issued a statement explaining the move.

What have Netflix said?

The reason behind the change surrounds those who have not used the service for many months.

Eddy Wu, product innovation at Netflix said: "You know that sinking feeling when you realize you signed up for something but haven’t used it in ages?

"At Netflix, the last thing we want is people paying for something they’re not using.

"So we’re asking everyone who has not watched anything on Netflix for a year since they joined to confirm they want to keep their membership.

"And we’ll do the same for anyone who has stopped watching for more than two years. Members will start seeing these emails or in app notifications this week.

"If they don’t confirm that they want to keep subscribing, we’ll automatically cancel their subscription. If anyone changes their mind later, it’s really easy to restart Netflix.

"These inactive accounts represent less than half of one percent of our overall member base, only a few hundred thousand, and are already factored into our financial guidance. We’ve always thought it should be easy to sign up and to cancel.

"So, as always, 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."

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What is Netflix Party?

The streaming giant also has a feature for friends to watch movies together - without the need to be in the same place.

Netflix Party is a Google Chrome extension which allows you to watch films and TV series while chatting with your friends.

It has actually existed for a few years but has enjoyed a newfound popularity due to the number of people currently staying home.

The extension allows you to create a digital chatroom for any movie provided by the streaming service.

You can then invite your friends, allowing you all to talk using a sidebar on the screen as the movie plays.

The extension also allows you to use screenshots, emojis and gifs to add a little flavour to your conversation.

The extension will also keep you all perfectly in sync – so one of you doesn’t fall behind and have the big reveal at the end ruined before you’ve seen it!

According to the Chrome Store, the Netflix Party extension already has more than 900,000 users.

The Netflix Party extension is available now for free via the Chrome Store.

Of course, you will have to use Google Chrome to download it and everyone will need to have an active Netflix subscription to watch a movie together. As it is only available via Chrome, you’ll only be able to use it with Netflix in a browser rather than using the Netflix app.

Once you’ve got it installed, simply boot up Netflix, pick the film you want to watch and hit the NP button to open the Netflix Party extension.

You’ll then be given a party URL to share with whoever else you want to watch the movie with.

All participants will need to download the Netflix Party Extension but only person then needs to be responsible for creating the chatroom and sending out invites.