Disney CEO, Bob Iger, has announced that “we are looking for ways to counter account sharing.”
“The company has not revealed the exact number of people sharing their passwords outside of the family circle, but it has confirmed that it’s a significant number.”
In detail, Iger added that Disney “will begin updating the subscription agreement and terms of service with additional clauses about our sharing policies” by the end of 2023, and starting from 2024, they will “take actions to monetize on this.”
This most likely means charging for additional passwords to be shared with friends and acquaintances, much like what Netflix is doing.
Similar to Netflix, Disney has emphasized that the company has the “technical capabilities” to monitor access (almost certainly through IP addresses, geolocation, viewing activities, and so on) and indeed plans to “address this issue” in 2024.
Despite this, Iger explained that “while there may be some level of disruption from these actions in fiscal 2024, it’s possible that the work could be completed beyond that year.” Nonetheless, “this is a priority for us because we really believe our growth opportunities lie here.”
Currently, there are no official confirmations about the potential cost of additional passwords or whether this change will be accompanied by (similar to Netflix) plans with advertisements and more expensive plans.
However, it’s highly likely to happen, as it’s precisely what is already occurring in the United States. As of now, in Italy, Disney Plus costs 8.99 euros per month or 89.90 euros per year.