Starting November 1st, Disney Plus will be implementing stricter password sharing rules, beginning with Canadian subscribers. This change was communicated to Disney Plus users in Canada via email. While Disney has not disclosed the exact mechanisms for enforcing this policy, their email announcement emphasized limitations on sharing account credentials beyond one’s household.
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The company’s updated Help Centre now clearly states, “You may not share your subscription outside of your household.” Furthermore, Disney’s new subscriber agreement includes a dedicated “account sharing” section, outlining the possibility of analysing account usage. Non-compliance with the terms of the agreement could result in account restrictions or even termination.
Disney’s decision to address password sharing follows CEO Bob Iger’s comments during Disney’s Q3 earnings call. At that time, Iger mentioned that Disney was actively exploring ways to address shared accounts, as a “significant” number of users were sharing passwords across Disney’s services. Iger also noted Disney’s technical capability to monitor sign-ins.
Disney Plus joins the ranks of streaming services attempting to curb password sharing. Netflix, for example, has been testing similar restrictions in various countries for over a year and began enforcing these measures in the United States in May 2023. Netflix restricts account access based on a user’s IP address and offers subscription plans allowing additional members to be added to an account for an extra fee. This approach has proven successful for Netflix, attracting more subscribers to the service, as reported in their Q2 earnings call.
In a silver lining for Canadian users, the introduction of these restrictions coincides with the availability of a cheaper ad-supported subscription tier. As the streaming landscape continues to evolve, subscribers may find themselves navigating more complex pricing structures in the ongoing streaming wars.
