Disney Plus has announced details of how it will stop ‘freeloaders’ from sharing their accounts.
The company will block people from different homes using the same account. It can do this by monitoring what WiFi they are using.
Anyone who wants to add an ‘extra member’ must pay $6.99 a month for the ad-supported plan and $9.99 for the ad-free version, the company said Wednesday.
The option only applies to standalone Disney Plus – and not if it is bundled with Hulu. In those case, a whole separate account must be created.
Disney’s crackdown resembles what Netflix did in 2023 – whereby account holders can add extra members for a cost. But to make it better value the price of extra people is lower than a whole new subscription.
Disney+ has begun its password sharing crackdown
Disney announced the plans to crack down on password-sharing earlier this year – and is now making it official.
Streaming services are increasingly banning the practice as a way to boost profits as sign-ups stall.
Netflix led the way, followed by HBO’s Max and now Disney Plus.
The new rules mean that one subscription can be used by a group of devices so long as they are in the same ‘household’.
Disney, much like Netflix, will count the TV you sign in on as the main device and then any others wishing to use that subscription must use the same Wi-Fi network at least once a month.
Netflix offers ‘extra member slots’ to subscribers who want to share their account with people outside their household for an additional $7.99 each.
Or they can set up their own account entirely – for $6.99 a month with ads, or $15.49 without ads.
Cracking down on password sharing – launched in 2023 – has worked for Netflix, with soaring profits and record subscriber numbers.
HBO Max will start cracking down later this year. Owner Warner Bros. Discovery will block people sharing passwords outside their household as soon as this fall in a bid to boost dwindling viewership.
Meanwhile, Disney is raising the price of its streaming plans next month – a year after the last hike.
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‘We started our password-sharing initiative in June. That kicks in, in earnest, in September,’ said CEO Bob Iger at a recent meeting
The prices will take effect from October 17 and affect Disney+, Hulu and ESPN – the three streaming services run by the entertainment giant.
Disney+ with adverts rise to $9.99 from $7.99 a month – a 25 per cent increase. The advert-free tier will go up $2 to $15.99.
Experts on how to beat password-sharing rules
There are still ways around the new restrictions so you can keep borrowing that one friend’s log-in.
In order to avoid having to pay for an extra subscription there are reasonably easy ways to get round the rules, according to the Life Hacker blog.
One option – if you live near the home of the person paying for the account – is to visit their home once a month and log-into their Wi-Fi and stream Disney+ for a little while on your phone, tablet or laptop.
This should convince the account that it is being streamed by devices considered within the same household.
Disney+ will then ‘remember’ your device for the next 30 days, thinking it’s part of the household for the account.
Streaming on a smart TV outside the primary residence of the account is a little trickier.
However, Life Hacker recommends authenticating a different tablet on the household’s Wi-Fi once a month and then casting it on you smart TV at home.
