Disney+ has over 140 million subscribers worldwide. But in the past year, the streaming giant saw a drop in paying users, with almost 20 million people saying goodbye to their Disney+ memberships. At the same time, the company introduced new plans and hiked up the prices for some of them. Now, there are more changes on the way.
Users in Canada won’t be able to share their Disney+ passwords and accounts with people outside their households anymore, as reported by Android Authority. Disney+ sent out emails to its users, letting them know that starting from November 1st, shared accounts will be restricted. Only people living under your roof will be allowed to watch on devices connected to your primary account.
This move to crack down on password sharing isn’t entirely new, as Netflix has already done it. Netflix lets users pay for extra subscribers who don’t live in the same house, but Disney+ hasn’t announced such a feature. So, if you’ve been sharing a Disney+ account in Canada, you might find yourself kicked out unceremoniously come November 1st.
Netflix also allows you to transfer your profile to keep your watchlist and recommendations intact. Whether Disney+ will offer similar options remains unclear.
Disney+ recently introduced an ad-supported option to soften the blow of an upcoming price increase for ad-free subscriptions. However, with this password-sharing crackdown, it might need to think of more ways to keep its current users and attract new ones. Content is essential, but don’t underestimate the impact of prices and the ability to use your profile from anywhere.
Some users on Reddit have reported difficulties logging into their Disney+ accounts when they’re away from home, which can be a hassle, especially when you’re paying for it every month.
This password-sharing restriction kicks off in Canada on November 1st. Whether it will affect the US and other countries remains uncertain for now.
