Disney confirms that password-sharing crackdown starts in June

Sometime back, Disney revealed that it would restrict users from sharing passwords in its new policies. However, no timeline was provided for the same. Now, Disney has confirmed that the password-sharing crackdown will start in June this year, aiming for subscriber growth and an increase in profits. With this move, Disney will go the Netflix way, which had a successful rollout gaining millions of subscribers in the H2 of 2023.

Disney+ password-sharing crackdown starts in June

In an interview with CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed the company’s plans to crack down on password-sharing. He said Disney plans on its first foray into password sharing in June. However, the rollout will begin in a few countries in a few markets initially. By September, the company plans to expand the crackdown to all subscribers in different regions by September this year.

With this move, Disney is following in the footsteps of Netflix. Netflix began a password-sharing crackdown in 2023. The company started charging an extra $7.99 per month to add an additional viewer outside the household. That said, Disney’s crackdown should also work similarly.

Previously, Disney’s chief financial officer, Huge Johnston, revealed that the company will send a prompt to sign up if it suspects improper sharing i.e. sharing of accounts to people outside the household.

Disney first revealed it would go the Netflix way and start a password-sharing crackdown in February this year.

“We want to reach as large an audience as possible with our outstanding content,” said Huge Johnston, CFO at Disney.

“We’re looking forward to rolling out this new functionality to improve the overall customer experience and grow our subscriber base,” he continued.

While the company is starting the password-sharing crackdown soon in global markets, it will also likely affect Disney+ Hotstar users when it arrives in India. For the unversed, Disney+ and Hotstar have a merger to offer a mixed slate of content to the Indian audience.