Disney+ launches account sharing crackdown

The programme offers users new ways to pay for access to Disney+ on behalf of family members or friends outside their household who may have been illicitly using their accounts.

Disney+ is following in the footsteps of Netflix which began cracking down on password sharing last year and quickly saw a large increase in paid subscribers.

The Disney+ programme has launched in the US, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region after launching in select markets over the summer.

“Your Disney+ subscription is meant to be used within your household, which is a collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside there,” said Disney+ in a blog post announcing the changes. “But what about people outside of your household? They will need to sign up and pay for their own subscription or be added as an Extra Member to your account for an additional monthly fee to continue enjoying Disney+.”

Account holders who want to add someone outside of their household to their Disney+ subscription will be able to do so with an ‘Extra Member’ add-on.

In the US, an Extra Member profile will cost an additional $6.99 per month for Disney+ Basic subscriptions and $9.99 per month for Disney+ Premium subscriptions. Only one Extra Member slot is available per account

Subscribers who are away from home can still watch Disney+ on supported devices. If they see the message “This TV doesn’t seem to be part of the household for this account”, they can mark themselves as away from home. This will require a one-time passcode sent to the email address associated with the account.