Disney+ to follow Netflix’s lead, start cracking down on password sharing

The history of streaming TV over the last decade can be seen, in at least one light, as the history of the Disney corporation looking over at young upstart Netflix, going, “Oh, hey, we can do that, too, with a whole bunch more money behind it,” and then swiftly following suit.

In that context, it’s interesting to note a new earnings call held by company CEO Bob Iger this week, who announced that, true to the playbook, Disney+ will soon be taking a more aggressive tack against people who share accounts with friends and family—following, obviously, in the footsteps taken by Netflix over the last few years. (I.e., around the time the streamer realized it had run out of new Earthlings to scoop into into its mouth as subscribers, and started looking through the figurative couch cushions for change.) Iger specifically used that “We know what you’ve all been up to” language that’s always so ominous from the streamers, stating that, “We already have the technical capability to monitor much of this,”—referring to account sharing. And, the CEO assured investors, “I’m not going to give a specific number, except to say that it is significant.”

(Translation: “Them couch cushions are a rattlin’.”)

Iger suggested that the password crackdown—which will, like Netflix, likely come with options to allow users to pay to share accounts—will come some time in 2024. News of the initiative comes as Disney announced that it intends to hike up prices for Disney+ and Hulu, albeit with a wrinkle: Those who chose to bundle the two services will be able to pay just $19.99/month for their ad-free versions, as Disney continues to try to consolidate the two services. Disney also stated its intent to roll out Disney+’s new ad-supported tier to other countries, including Canada and the U.K.; the plan has attracted 3.3 million subscribers since it was rolled out late last year.

[via CNBC]