Disney’s streaming services have begun cracking down on password sharing

Disney has updated the language on its three streaming platforms to limit password sharing outside of a user’s individual account.

In an email to subscribers sent Wednesday, Disney-owned Hulu said it would begin limiting account sharing for prior and existing subscribers starting March 14, with the changes effective for new subscribers as of last week.

Disney+ and ESPN+ have also both updated their user agreements to reflect the changes to account sharing, though it was not immediately clear when those changes occurred. The new language was first reported by CNN.

A Disney representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted at the move to limit account sharing on a company earnings call last August.

“In calendar ’24, we’re going to get at this issue,” Iger said. “We certainly have established this as a real priority. We actually think that there’s an opportunity here to help us grow our business.”

An effort to cut down on users improperly sharing Disney+ accounts in particular helps to bolster Iger’s stated goal to make the streaming service profitable by the end of 2024.

The moves follow Netflix’s announcement last April that it would begin making users pay more if they wanted to share accounts. Netflix said last month it just saw its highest-ever quarterly subscriber growth.