Disney+ Enforces Anti-Password Sharing Policy Beginning This September
Disney plans to allow subscribers to pay an extra fee for sharing their subscription with people outside their household.
Disney is gearing up to crack down on password sharing starting next month, according to CEO Bob Iger. The company has been planning this move since September of last year, though the timeline has seen some shifts, as reported by The Verge.
In June, Disney began enforcing password-sharing bans in certain countries, and now it looks like the U.S. and other regions will follow suit by September 2024. Iger stated that this crackdown is part of Disney’s strategy to make Disney+ a profitable venture. The approach mirrors Netflix’s successful move to stop multi-household password sharing in 2023, which led to significant subscriber growth in the subsequent months. Back in April, Iger even praised Netflix’s tactics, calling them the “gold standard in streaming.”
He remarked, “I have immense respect for what they’ve accomplished. If we can achieve even a fraction of their success, it would be incredible.” Iger also mentioned that Disney has faced “no backlash whatsoever” from customers who have been informed about the new policy.
Following Netflix’s lead, Disney plans to introduce an option for subscribers to pay an additional fee to share their account with people outside their household, though exact pricing details are still under wraps.
Additionally, Disney announced this week that it will raise the subscription prices for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ starting in October. Disney+ with ads will jump to $9.99 per month, up from $7.99, while the ad-free version will increase to $15.99 per month, compared to the current $13.99.
Why Disney is Taking a Stand Against Account Sharing?
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| Disney + is also going to become more expensive in the US (Image credit: Shutterstock) |
Do You Support Disney+’s Decision to End Password Sharing, or Does It Feel Like a Step Too Far?”