Disney Plus' password-sharing crackdown begins in June
If you have a Disney Plus account, and you happen to share your login with friends and family outside your home, get ready to spend more. As originally shared back in February, Disney+ will begin to crack down on password sharing. However, now Disney CEO Bob Iger has laid out a definite timeline, and the end of an era is coming this summer.
Disney, taking cues from Netflix's anti-password-sharing playbook, is now determined to do the same and boost profits. This is a strategy that is becoming popular among streamers, along with incorporating ads and asking subscribers to pay more in order to get rid of them. Even Hulu and Amazon Prime Video have jumped on these trends.
As per Iger (via 9to5Mac), Disney will begin its password crackdown experiment in a few countries starting in June. By September, expect it to be rolled out everywhere. Though Iger didn't get super technical about how this'll work, Disney has said they'll be keeping an eye on your account activity to make sure you're all watching from a single household.
The writing's been on the wall since last summer when Disney announced they were joining Netflix in the fight against shared accounts. In February, they even gave US subscribers a heads-up, so this latest announcement isn't exactly a surprise. Still, at least now there's a clearer idea of when you'll need to start budgeting for that extra Disney+ subscription and break the news to the friends and/or family members that may have access to it.
Netflix's anti-password-sharing move caused a bit of a stir initially, but it ultimately led to a boost in paying subscribers. Disney is probably hoping for the same results and banking on the popularity of their current and upcoming shows. Considering all the recent price hikes, streaming is becoming more expensive than ever. Now that password-sharing looks like it'll be a thing of the past, we're really in for some more strict budgeting.
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