In an interview with CNBC last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger said a crackdown on sharing Disney+ passwords will begin in June in the U.S. and in September in other places.
Meanwhile, after streaming rival Netflix began enforcing password-sharing restrictions last spring, there was one jump into the recordsreported CNN, and 100,000 new accounts were registered in the first two days, according to data from Antenna.
“Netflix is the gold standard in streaming,” Iger said in the Interview on CNBC. “They've done a phenomenal job and a lot of different directions. I actually have a lot, a lot of respect for what they've accomplished. If we can only accomplish what they've accomplished, that would be great.”
Original story from February 1 below:
It's the end of an era for Disney+ and Hulu password users, as Disney has announced that it will begin cracking down on password sharing between subscribers.
Wednesday, Disney issued a letter to Hulu subscribers stating that it will begin “adding restrictions” on “sharing your account outside of your family” starting March 14.
The company also quietly updated its Subscriber Agreement on January 25 to include information about account sharing.
Connected: Disney Combines Hulu, Disney+ Streaming Platforms
“Except as otherwise permitted by your service level, you may not share your subscription outside of your household,” new policy states. “”Household” means the collection of equipment associated with your primary personal residence that is used by the individuals who reside there.”
If subscribers are found in violation of the rule, Hulu “may limit or terminate access” to the account.
Disney+ and ESPN+ have also updated their subscriber agreements to say the same, but there's no date on record as to when the document was updated. Disney+ the ban began users from sharing passwords outside of the same household in Canada last October.
Connected: Disney+ is starting to crack down on password sharing — in Canada
Disney took operational control and a majority stake in Hulu in 2019 when it bought the assets of 21 Century Fox and began merging Hulu and Disney+ content in May 2023.
Disney gained complete control of the streaming service in November 2023, when it bought 33% of Comcast's remaining shares for about $8.6 billion.
Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted that changes could be coming to Disney's streaming service platforms during a 2023 Q3 Earnings Call in August 2023, when the company announced price increases for several tiers of Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions.
“In calendar '24, we'll be dealing with this issue,” Iger said of subscribers and password sharing at the time. “We've certainly made that a real priority. We actually think there's an opportunity here to help us grow our business.”
Streaming rival Netflix notoriously forbidden password sharing outside the same family in March 2023, much to worry about of loyal subscribers.
The Walt Disney Co. was down slightly more than 11.3% in a one-year period as of Thursday afternoon.