September was the vowed timeline of The Walt Disney Company's password-sharing crackdown on its streaming platform, Disney+, and it is a way to curb sharing an account for users not from the same household. It was the move that Netflix first started last year with its crackdown and has brought significant numbers for them, with Disney+ following in its footsteps.
The new 'Extra Member' option could permit a supplementary to one's subscription.
Disney+ Password Sharing Crackdown is Now Here in the US
The Walt Disney Company has now announced that its anti-password sharing rules are now in effect across different regions worldwide, beginning the end of sharing accounts among those who do not live under the same roof. This rollout will apply to the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, whose countries were not explicitly named.
It was reiterated by the company that a Disney+ account (which is subscribed to the family tier) is exclusive to a "household" only, and it would be dependent on their location for their streaming experience to work.
With this, The Walt Disney Company is now introducing the "paid sharing" feature to its subscribers.
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Disney+ 'Extra Member' Option is Available for Sharers
According to Disney, paid sharing would allow account owners to add only one (1) 'Extra Member' option, an add-on to their subscription. For the United States, it currently costs $7.99 per month for the ad-supported "Basic" plan,and $13.99 for its Premium ad-free.
The Extra Member would cost an additional $6.99 for Basic subscriptions while a whopping $9.99 add-on is expectedfor Premium accounts.
Password Cracking Revolution in Streaming
In late 2022, Netflix first launched its heightened rules in sharing accounts, and this was called the 'password sharing crackdown' which the renowned streaming platform popularized across the industry. The company revealed at the end of its 2023 fiscal year's second quarter, which was the time when it took full effect, that it led to a significant growth in subscriptions, seeing 5.9 million new subscribers from this alone.
This was later followed by Disney+, a known rival of Netflix, with its CEO Bob Iger claiming that it is also taking the necessary steps to prevent users from sharing their accounts, with its initial rollout starting in June and going full blast by September.
It became a massive trend in the media streaming industry as another massive platform followed, with Warner Bros. Discovery's Max, claiming that it is also adopting it, looking to "profit" more from subscribers.
Despite the earlier report by Netflix regarding its platform growth with its anti-password sharing, it has been one of its downfalls as its number from the 2024 fiscal year 2nd quarter significantly dropped.
Disney is now here with its anti-password sharing rules applying to users across the United States and other regions that will prevent users from streaming unless they are in the same household, unless they get the new Extra Member option which has limited features.
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