It’s going to be an expensive streaming summer for Disney+ users sharing passwords.
Though Disney’s streaming service has already started rolling out its crackdown on password sharing in the U.S., it’s now clear when the company will make people pay for anyone outside their household to use their account: June.
Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC the company will be “launching our first real foray into password sharing” in June, lightly detailing plans to launch in “just a few countries” before expanding to all paying subscribers by September.
Disney+ is now restricting password sharing in the U.S.
Iger’s interview comes after Disney announced a similar summer timeframe for the crackdown in February, during Disney’s Q1 earnings call.
“Beginning this summer, Disney+ accounts suspected of improper sharing will be presented with new capabilities to allow their borrowers to start their own subscriptions,” CFO Hugh Johnston said during the call, as reported by CNET.
“Later this calendar year, account holders who want to allow access to individuals from outside their household will be able to add them to their accounts for an additional fee.”
First announced for the U.S. in August 2023, then confirmed in February, Disney+ is about to go hard on these account sharing restrictions. If you’ve been a new subscriber since January 25, you’re already under these rules, and they were rolled out to existing members on March 14.
Disney’s current Subscriber Agreement, updated in September 2023, says, “Unless otherwise permitted by your Service Plan, you may not share your subscription outside of your Household. “Household” means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein.” Disney’s agreement also says “additional usage rules may apply for certain Service Plans,” but the current Disney+ pricing page doesn’t have any further details on how much users might have to pay to add extra users outside the household.
Disney’s agreement also reads, “We may analyse the use of your account to determine compliance with this Agreement. If we determine that you have violated this Agreement, we may limit or terminate access.”
Disney+’s crackdown follows Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing last April, and similar moves by Hulu, ESPN, and Max. If you want to share streaming accounts nowadays, you’ve got to pay.
