Freeloaders, beware. Disney+ is kicking off its crackdown on password-sharing on Nov. 1, starting with Canada.
The streaming service announced the move in an email sent to Canadian subscribers and obtained by MobileSyrup on Sept. 27.
The message primarily focuses on the launch of its ad-supported membership and the updates on the streaming service's agreement. Included in the updates is the warning that Disney+ is soon "implementing restrictions in account sharing" that, although stated in its previous guidelines, was never really enforced on its subscribers.
That is why starting Nov. 1, all users in Canada are no longer allowed to share their passwords outside of their household "unless otherwise permitted by your service tier."
"'Household' means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein," the company clarified in the email.
To ensure that its subscribers are indeed playing—or rather streaming—by the rules, Disney+ said that it will "analyze the use" of their subscribers' accounts, which can be done by monitoring sign-ins and IP addresses.
"If we determine that you have violated this Agreement, we may limit or terminate access to the Service and/or take any other steps as permitted by this Agreement," it added.
This password-sharing crackdown is coupled by a price increase Disney+ is launching in foreign countries on Oct. 12. Subscribers of the streaming service's ad-free tier will then be required to pay a monthly fee of $13.99 instead of just $10.99, or an annual fee of $139.99 from $109.99.
Philippine subscribers need not worry as the public relations agency of Disney+ Philippines confirmed to PhilSTAR L!fe that the change will not take effect in the country.
The crackdown is taking place almost three months since CEO Bob Iger announced in an earnings call last August that the company is actively "address[ing] account sharing" in 2024. Similar to Netflix, which expanded its crackdown globally in May, Disney+'s move is part of its plans to mitigate financial losses since its launch in November 2019.
Although unpopular among subscribers, Neflix's move has evidently paid off, with the streaming giant drawing nearly six million additional subscribers three months since its rollout.
