Disney Plus & Hulu Next Streamers To Crack Down On Password Sharing

Disney+ and Hulu will be following in Netflix’s footsteps by looking to crack down on password sharing in the future, reveals Disney CEO Bob Iger. For years, it’s been common practice for streaming service subscribers to share their passwords with friends and family without their own accounts. While services such as Netflix initially championed the habit – or at least turned a blind eye – that has begun to change as streaming grows ever larger and companies look to increase profits. Netflix started the trend of cutting back password sharing by restricting account access to one household earlier this year.

Now, it seems Disney+ and Hulu will follow suit. During Disney’s Q3 earnings call on Wednesday (via Variety), Iger said the company would be looking into ways to develop stricter policies regarding password sharing. These plans are expected to be rolled out “sometime in 2024.” Iger didn’t elaborate beyond that, but he did say the issue had become “significant” for the company.

Streaming Changes Continue To Cause Frustration

The streaming boom of the past few years has led to services overloading on content and spending millions to make it. Now, they’re looking to prioritize cost-cutting and up their earnings, though so far, most solutions have led to frustration from subscribers. For example, services such as Max and Paramount+ have fallen into a disappointing habit of erasing content completely from their platforms; Disney+ and Hulu have done the same. There’s also the matter of rising prices, something Iger mentioned during the earnings call.

Both Disney+ and Hulu are set to raise the prices of their ad-free subscriptions later this year. This, coupled with the news that password sharing might no longer be acceptable, isn’t exactly welcome news for subscribers who may already be paying for multiple streaming services. Exactly how Disney intends to crack down on password sharing isn’t yet clear, but they could take a similar route as Netflix and insist that accounts remain attached to a single household.

Mentioning the intention to work on password sharing alongside the confirmation of a price hike has already sparked annoyance from those on social media, particularly as it comes during the dual writers and actors strikes. However, it is worth mentioning that Netflix has increased subscribers and profits following its own crackdown on password sharing, so perhaps this will be beneficial for Disney+ and Hulu in the end. Right now, though, it has only added to growing concerns from subscribers.

Source: Disney (via Variety)