Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Starting in September of this year, Disney Plus will begin restricting password sharing.
- The company is expected to introduce paid sharing options in the US shortly.
- In related news, Disney is also increasing prices for its streaming services, including Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Hulu, beginning in October.
If you thought Netflix was the only streaming platform cracking down on account sharing, think again! Disney Plus, another streaming giant, will soon begin restricting your ability to share passwords with those outside your primary household.
According to The Verge, this was confirmed by Disney CEO Bob Iger during a recent earnings call, in which he mentioned the crackdown would begin in September of this year. The company’s streaming business has become profitable for the first time, per the earnings results for Q3. Disney has reportedly made something to the tune of $47 million from its streaming platforms — Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Hulu.
Something to note is that the company’s stance on password sharing has not exactly been consistent. In February, Disney said it was rolling out paid sharing plans, and some users were even notified about this. Following this, Disney launched paid sharing in certain countries, but there was no further information shared on when US customers would be able to subscribe to this plan.
Given the company’s recent announcement to begin cracking down on password sharing, it’s safe to assume that customers in the US will begin to see this option soon. That said, we have no idea how much paid sharing will cost. But, for reference, Netflix charges an additional $7.99 to add an extra user to one’s account under the paid sharing model, so we expect Disney to adopt a similar pricing strategy.
In related news, the streaming giant is also increasing the prices of its plans across services, including Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Hulu. Users will need to pay more for these services starting in October of this year. Iger has said he’s not overly concerned about losing subscribers, given that the company is adding curated playlists and ABC News Live to enhance the value of its offerings. Iger’s sentiment is understandable, considering how Disney Plus and Hulu just grew their subscriber base by nearly a million.
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