Disney to Crack Down on Password Sharing in Streaming

Do you share your Disney account password with a number of your family members? Well, just how you share that account with others could be changing soon.

©Disney

We’ve seen some streaming services — like Netflix — start to crack down on password sharing. And it seems Disney is looking to do the same.

On August 9th, 2023, Disney held its earnings call and revealed its earnings report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023. During that call, we got some HUGE updates — like how hotel bookings and attendance at Disney World have decreased, Iger’s comments on the Hollywood strikes, and more.

Disney also shared a look at their current number of Disney+ subscribers and just how the direct-to-consumer part of the business is doing financially.

So what’s next for Disney+? Well, we know just when prices will increase for one Disney+ subscription type and we’ve heard a bit about when a new Disney+ bundle will be available. But it looks like the Company is looking to address something else soon — password sharing.

During the earnings call, Iger said that Disney is actively looking into ways to address account sharing. Iger noted that Disney already has the technical capability to monitor much of this.

Iger wouldn’t share a specific number in terms of password sharing but noted that “it’s significant.” He said that Disney doesn’t know how much of the password sharing, as they work to eliminate it, will convert to growth and subs. Iger said they believe there will be some growth, but they won’t speculate on it at this time.

Still, Iger said that in “calendar 24” they’ll “get at this issue,” so the Company will likely see some impact then but the work may not be completed within that calendar year. Iger also noted that Disney has “established this as a real priority” and they think there’s an opportunity there to impact the business.