Disney+ started getting strict about password sharing in Canada last year, and now it’s expanding the restriction to the US. According to The Verge, the streaming service has been sending out emails to its subscribers in the country, notifying them about a change in its terms of service. Its service agreement now states that users may not share their passwords outside of their household “unless otherwise permitted by [their] service tier,” suggesting the arrival of new subscription options in the future.
The Verge says Disney+ told subscribers that they can analyze the use of their account to “determine compliance,” though it didn’t elaborate on how its methods work exactly. “We’re adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household, and explaining how we may assess your compliance with these limitations,” Disney+ reportedly wrote in its email. In its Service Agreement, the service describes “household” as “the collection of devices associated with [subscribers’] primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein.” The rule already applies to new subscribers, but old ones have until March 14 to feel its effects.
Meh. I cancelled Netflix when they did it and I cancelled my Hulu bundle when I got the email a couple of days ago. I know I won’t make a difference, but I also won’t miss either one of them.
You will make a difference because you’re not the only one. Thx for doing the right thing. With enough pressure maybe they’ll learn.
As much as I hate it, no, it won’t make a difference. Netflix did this and it gave them a record number of subscribers. Seems like for every 1 that cancels 2 more subscribe.
For now, sure. I mean the reason for these changes are short term earnings like always. But it won’t with in the long term.
I wish you were right.
Was no surprise that other platforms would follow Netflix with not allowing sharing passwords.
What does surprise me is that people actually pay their own subscription for these platforms. Netflix had a win in profit/revenue. I’m surprised that these people did not go for the Piracy method even though, they complain about:
- Price increases
- Not allowed to share password/ account
- Content not available on said platform and having to go to others platforms
- Cancellation of shows after one or two seasons
There are millions of people who can afford $130/yr. They just don’t complain on forums.
$140 a year, sure. That’s just Netflix or Disney Plus though. If you want all of the services these days you’re up to $140 a month.
That’s what we used to pay for cable/satellite TV before we switched to Netflix+YouTube a few years ago.
While I’ve cut back because of the abundance of services, the always increasing prices, and the cutting of content, I still don’t get this comparison. Most people don’t get all the services the same way most people didn’t get every cable package available. I’ve never had more than 5 at once and 1 was because it was included with my internet service and another because it was included in my Prime subscription. I really only ever consciously had 3 services and I’m down to two now because fuck Netflix.
What does surprise me is that people actually pay their own subscription for these platforms. Netflix had a win in profit/revenue. I’m surprised that these people did not go for the Piracy method even though, they complain about:
Most people don’t like change. Maybe they have a habit of switching on Netflix daily during dinner or something. There’s also a big “Netflix” button on their remotes and their TV’s homescreen, which serves as a constant reminder. They probably even have the app on their phones. All of this leads to mental conditioning and addiction, it’s now a part of their daily lives. Humans are a creature of habit, and it’s hard to break out of a routine ingrained over several years.
Piracy could be a option for some people, but it’s still either too technical, or not as convenient, for the average Joe. Sure, there are even websites you could go to, but most people won’t bother with that - they just want to hit the Netflix button and watch something, without needing to go to some website.
You’ll find that most people would prefer to choose the path of least resistance, even if it means paying (more) money. Don’t forget that even pirates may sometimes pay money to make things easier - eg usenet/seedbox/debrid users - and that’s simply because they too would prefer to take the path of least resistance, even if it means being in the ironic situation of paying to watch pirated content. So it’s not too hard to imagine why normal people would just prefer to cough up the extra cash for Netflix and continue with their lives, routines unchanged.
My mother in law is like this. She has cable and she’ll never, never get rid of it. She’ll just browse for huge chuncks of time thru the long, long list of channels (including shipping, music, spanish, and many of which aren’t even available or are pay per view). The act of browsing the crappy ui itself is soothing to her (fucking maddening to me but w\e).
I think she has fond memories of watching cable news and such as a family when she was a child. It’s the only thing that makes sense because she’s alwayscomplaining about the price but refuses to cut the cord. Nothing other than rose- colored glasses could account for her behavior that i can fathom.
Of it were up to me I’d drop it in a heart beat. I’m outvoted by kids grandkids and wife who watch random things throughout the day.
I barely watch TV these days and would happily hooky the odd things I do want to see
I totally get that the couple of bucks a month is worth saving any headache from doing tech support for family members.
However, if you want to try switching them to pirated sources, Stremio + Torrentio add-on and a Real-Debrid sub (which is paid but much cheaper than a streaming service) is great for giving you a Netflix-like interface for pirated content. It’s easy enough that I coached my dad on how to set it up via text.
Most people don’t even know how piracy works unless it gets as mainstream as Napster did. You tell them about torrenting, -arr programs, debrid services, and they’ll have no clue what you’re talking about.
I pirate with torrents and the rest still goes over my head.
I’m not surprised. It went really well for Netflix.
Everybody said they’d cancel Netflix over it, even that it would be a mistake that would kill Netflix, but when it came down to it, most continued paying/bought a plan and Netflix became more profitable.
Yep. I cancelled but all of my family on my account got their own
Ironically I dropped Netflix for the Hulu Disney package because of password sharing and I was the one paying.
The people who said they’d cancel probably did, they were just the minority.
Great news to be honest. I hope disney sees a similar spike in profits so they can make more great shows for me to pirate.
Ay someone gets it. Everyone can win
Everybody said they’d cancel Netflix over it
What’s probably more likely is that the “everybody” that you heard from was an incredibly unrepresentative sample of people from a bubble of nerdy tech enthusiasts.
And those people, like me, probably did cancel.
I am still surprised more people didn’t cancel since everyone I know who uses streaming services shares them, and most are splitting the cost.
raising prices, adding ads and cracking down on shared accounts all have me LOOKing for a place to get a MOVIE 2 watch without messing with a DOT TOrrent file
I am from the US, my wife is not. I live in her country and Disney releases a different app for each country.
This is a problem, because I have the US app store and she has the app store from her country. So, I cannot log into our disneyplus account on my phone. Or I can get the app and subscribe then, she can’t login.
I’d switch my account to the country where we are living, but I can’t or I’d lose access to some of my banking apps. So, I don’t even have a way to watch it without getting two subscriptions.
Password crackdown aside, I don’t really get the appeal of the service unless you have kids or an abnormally large boner for Star Wars and MCU
The STAR section has some good things.
So my child, who is not old enough for their own account, will now no longer be able to watch Disney+ while attending school at their residential academy 400 miles away. Just like Netflix. And just like Netflix, my subscription will be canceled the moment they try to block them from logging in.
They have a good collection of movies and series. They’ve also started diversifying, bringing in some anime, some documentaries…
Just get the service for a month and drop it after catching up on the things you want. I keep it so I can watch bluey with my daughter, but I rotate most of my services.
I think the next thing they’re gonna do is go after people who sub for a month and then unsub. Probably by charging a good bit more for month-to-month than paying annually.
I tried out Disney and it came with Hulu. All I watched was Hulu. Both cancelled.
I don’t understand why you’d pay for this unless you like the content
(takes a sip out of 1999 The Phantom Menace Taco Bell promotional cup)
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
no one’s ever told me it’s abnormally large before - I’m blushing!
I’m sure just like Netflix, it will only effect Smart TVs. Netflix never stopped you from watching on your phone or browser.
I can get around password sharing rules on every streaming service that has them by using my phone and mobile data lmao.
So my child, who is not old enough for their own account, will now no longer be able to watch Disney+ while attending school at their residential academy 400 miles away. Just like Netflix. And just like Netflix, my subscription will be canceled the moment they try to block them from logging in.
Or my child, who shares a house with my ex wife in his laptop that I paid for…
If we can’t use my MIL’s account I will pirate the shows instead
🏴☠️
Damn, Steamboat Willie going into public domain really has Disney tightening the purse strings /s
Demonoid never gave a shit about sharing my password :D
Yes,I have received an email on ホットメールログイン too.
I’ve started cracking down on Disney+, and I’m getting flack for it. It’s all “why did you dropkick our TV”, “how did you get in here”, “we’re calling the police” bla bla bla bla. I’m just trying to help! Geez.
Sometimes the people that need the most help, don’t even realize it. Keep fighting the good fight.
Disney lost 1.3 million subscribers last quarter. I’m sure this will help. 🙄
It worked for Netflix. It’s easy to scoff at the clearly customer-antagonistic policies these services are turning towards, inevitably accompanied by the “well, they lost me as a subscriber” flood of comments. But the unfortunate truth is the vast majority of people just shut up and pay, resulting in big net income for the corporations that enact these policies.
I’m not sure that it actually did work for Netflix. I’ve seen at least one article claiming that Netflix lost subscribers in western markets after the change, but also added large numbers of subscribers in developing markets where the subscription price was much cheaper. Netflix spun this as “we added more users last quarter.”
