Disney+ is following Netflix’s lead and cracking down on account sharing.
Starting this month, Disney+ subscribers who want to share their accounts with someone who doesn’t live with them will need to pay an extra fee. This move will make it harder for users to share their subscriptions with people outside their homes.
As per ComicBook, the company’s new ‘paid sharing’ program gives subscribers the option to add one extra person, called an ‘Extra Member,’ for an additional monthly cost. Disney+ Basic (with ads) will charge $6.99 per month, and Disney+ Premium (no ads) will charge $9.99 per month for the Extra Member. Only one Extra Member can be added per account.
Disney defines a household as the devices connected to the primary residence. If someone outside this household is using a Disney+ account, they will either need to get their own subscription or be added as an Extra Member.
Account holders can use the ‘Invite an Extra Member to Disney+’ feature to invite an Extra Member. The Extra Member can then create their own profile with their own login and password, but they will only be able to stream on one device at a time.
Subscribers who use Disney Bundle (which includes Hulu and ESPN+) or those billed through partners like Max won’t be able to use the Extra Member option. Disney still allows subscribers to transfer profiles outside the household to a new subscription or an Extra Member account, so they won’t lose their watch history or settings.
Some profiles, like primary ones and kids’ profiles, aren’t eligible for transfer.
Disney+ is still available when users are away from home. You can still access your accounts on other devices by selecting the ‘I’m away from home’ option and entering a one-time passcode. Disney+ tracks subscription activity, connected devices, and internet connections to verify households, and users can update their household settings if they’ve moved.
Disney’s paid sharing program is available in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe, and parts of Asia. Disney+ began rolling it out in some markets over the summer and has now expanded to more regions.
