Disney+ Cracks Down On Password Sharing

Walt Disney Company is cracking down on password sharing, alerting Disney+ subscribers that people using the streaming service outside of a household will have to sign up for a new subscription.

The company said its Disney+ subscriptions are intended for a "collection of devices associated" with a residence and the individuals who live there.

People outside the household "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+," it said on its website.

Disney said account holders who want to add another user to their household can do so with an extra member add-on.

That would cost an extra $6.99 a month in the United States for the Disney+ basic subscriptions and $9.99 a month for Disney+ premium subscriptions.

Only one extra member slot is available per account, it emphasized.

The extra member is unavailable for Disney bundle subscribers or for those billed through third parties.

Another option for someone outside of the household is to sign up for their own subscription.

The company said account holders can transfer an eligible profile to a new subscription or extra member to preserve that profile's Disney+ watch history and settings.

Subscribers away from home can still watch Disney+ by entering a one-time passcode sent to the email address connected to the account.

TheDisney+ sharing capabilities are available in the U.S., Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

The crackdown comes as the company plans a price increase for Disney+ , Hulu and ESPN + services in October.

U.S. subscribers to Disney+ beginning on Oct. 17 will pay $9.99 for the basic plan and $15.99 for the premium service.

Hulu's ad-supported plan will also be $9.99 per month, with the ad-free version costing $18.99.

ESPN+, which includes ads, will go to $11.99 per month.

Rival Netflix started its own password sharing crackdown in 2023.