Disney+ has announced a new "Paid Sharing" program across multiple countries, including the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe, as its global account sharing crackdown kicks up a gear. The move, which was announced earlier this year by Disney CEO Bob Iger, aims to boost revenue and subscriber growth for the streaming service.
Similar to Netflix's approach, the new system restricts account usage to members of a single household. Disney+ defines a household as "a collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside there."
To accommodate users who wish to share their account with individuals outside their household, Disney+ has introduced an "Extra Member" add-on feature. In the US, this option costs an additional $6.99 per month for Disney+ Basic subscriptions and an extra $9.99 per month for Disney+ Premium subscriptions. UK pricing has been set at £3.99, £4.99, and £4.99 per month for Standard with Ads, Standard, and Premium plans, respectively.
It's worth noting that the Extra Member feature comes with some limitations: Account holders can only add one extra member, who must be 18 or older and reside in the same country, and the added member can only stream to one device at a time.
For those who frequently travel, Disney+ will still allow account holders to access the service when away from home. Users encountering access issues can verify their identity through a one-time passcode sent to the account's associated email address.
Disney+ is also offering the option to transfer eligible profiles to new subscriptions, allowing users to retain their watch history and settings if they choose to create their own account.
The move follows Netflix adopting similar restrictions in 2023, which the company said had led to significant subscriber growth. Disney aims to replicate this success, with Iger previously stating that the company needs to turn its streaming business into a growth business. Those comments came after Disney's streaming division experienced a $512 million loss in the third fiscal quarter of 2023.
The full rollout of the password sharing restrictions across the US, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be completed by the end of the month, potentially impacting a large swathe of the company's more than 110 million subscribers worldwide.
