Hulu Password-Sharing Crackdown Begins, Following Disney+
Disney-owned streaming service Hulu is cracking down on password-sharing. Notifications are being sent to subscribers notifying them of a new subscriber agreement that mentions how sharing accounts beyond the same household will soon be forbidden.
"Unless otherwise permitted by your Service Tier, you may not share your subscription outside of your household," the notice said (via The Hollywood Reporter). "'Household' means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein."
These changes will go into effect on March 14. The notice also alerted subscribers to how Disney may "analyze the use of your account" to determine if any passwords are being shared.
This comes after Disney+ began cracking down on password-sharing in 2023. None of this is a surprise, as Disney CEO Bob Iger said in August 2023 that the company was "actively exploring ways to address account sharing."
Iger declined to share a specific number as it relates to people sharing accounts on Disney+, but said it is "significant." Netflix, meanwhile, said it had 100 million accounts that were sharing passwords until it cracked down and started charging fees.
Iger said Disney sees a crackdown on password-sharing as an opportunity to "help us grow our business." Netflix saw a massive uptick in subscribers after cracking down on password-sharing, and Disney is likely looking for a similar result from its own methods.
