The writing has been on the wall for some time when it comes to password sharing, with streaming services cracking down on the act heavily in the past year.
And now it seems the move is being expanded, with one of the world’s largest streaming companies announcing it will be launching its own crack down – and pretty soon.
It comes after the world’s largest streaming service, Netflix, brought in new updates in 2023 to ensure that subscribers can no longer share passwords.
The friendly rivalry between streaming platforms saw Amazon take a cheeky swipe at Netflix’s efforts, leaving X (formerly Twitter) users in stitches.
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Now, the globe’s third largest streaming operator, Disney+, has confirmed when its password sharing crackdown will go live.
Robert Iger, Chief Executive Officer at Disney, gave an update on the crackdown in Disney’s third quarter financial update on Wednesday (7 August).
In it, Iger said: “We feel very bullish about the future of this business. We’re not saying much more about it, except you can expect that it’s going to grow nicely in fiscal 2025.
“The other thing I want to add is that we’ve been talking a lot about adding the technology features that we need to basically make it a higher-return, higher-margin business and a more successful business. And we’re doing that right now.”
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Millions subscribe to Disney+ (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
On password sharing coming to an end, Iger said: “We started our password-sharing initiative in June. That kicks in, in earnest in September.
“By the way, we’ve had no backlash at all to the notifications that have gone out and to the work that we’ve already been doing. We know that we need stronger recommendation engines, and we’re working on that technology, and we need to make our marketing more efficient.
“But by adding all of these features, both on the technological side and also on the programming side, we’re bullish about the future of this business. And then when you think about it, over – Hugh mentioned Moana and Mufasa, let me just read to you the movies that we’ll be making and releasing in the next almost two years.
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Disney is going the same way as Netflix (CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
“We have Moana, Mufasa, Captain America, Snow White, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Zootopia, Avatar, Avengers, Mandalorian, and Toy Story, just to name a few. And when you think about not only the potential of those in box office but the potential of those to drive global streaming value, I think there’s a reason to be bullish about where we’re headed.”
Hugh Johnston, Disney’s senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, said that the crackdown will be ‘helpful in terms of driving growth’.
From a business point of view, you can kind of understand it. During the Q3 presentation, Johnston revealed that cost estimates for Disney for the year had risen from $5.5 billion to $7.5 billion.
Featured Image Credit: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Topics: Disney, Disney Plus, TV, TV and Film, Entertainment, Business, World News, US News, UK News, Film, Netflix, Technology, Money
