Disney Plus already has rules in place to prevent subscribers from sharing their passwords – but we now have an idea when it will start making users pay to share them. in Interview on CNBCDisney CEO Bob Iger says the company plans to “launch our first real experience in password sharing” in June.
Iger says the rollout will start in “a few countries in a few markets” before expanding to all subscribers in September. Disney's anti-password sharing rules initially went into effect for new subscribers on January 25 and were rolled out to existing members on March 14. Netflix became the first streaming service to crack down on password sharing in 2023, starting charging users an additional $7.99 per month to add an additional viewer outside their household.
During an earnings call in February, Disney CFO Hugh Johnston confirmed that subscribers “suspected of improper sharing” would see a prompt to sign up for their own subscription this summer. Subscribers will also be able to add members outside their household for an “additional fee,” but Disney has not yet provided any details on how much that will cost.
The combined Disney Plus and Hulu app launched late last month as part of Disney's attempt to push more subscribers toward the lucrative streaming package. Not only does the newly combined app consolidate content across both services, but it also collects your viewing history to provide better recommendations.
“We feel great about sharing that Disney subscribers who didn't get Hulu are now watching more shows that were on Hulu, including shogun,Iger tells CNBC. “We have to increase engagement. We need the technological tools to reduce the churning rate, create more viscosity. It's things like recommendation engines, getting to know our customers better.”
As my colleague David Pearce pointed out, Disney is also “unifying identities so that who you are on the Hulu app is connected to who you are on Disney Plus, ESPN, and your cable box” — a vital password tool. Sharing campaign. Iger has big plans for the company's live streaming business, including a live-only version of ESPN, and says it will achieve profitability by the end of this fiscal year. Paid engagement will likely help further this goal.
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