Paid sharing is in, it seems. With Netflix having notoriously withdrawn its free sharing options for subscribers in what’s become known as their “password-sharing crackdown”, we are now seeing Disney+ following suit. Blake & Wang P.A. entertainment lawyer, Brandon Blake, has more.
Paid Sharing Across Key Territories
While Disney+’s new move is, essentially, the same as Netflix — subscribers will no longer be able to share access to their account with individuals outside the primary household — it’s being branded as a new feature across the Disney ecosystem. Paid sharing, or the ability to be added as an extra “member” on a subscription plan, will be rolled out in the US and Costa Rica, Canada, Europe, Guatemala, and their Asia-Pacific territories. This expands on a program we saw launched last summer.
Additional Costs
This additional subscription is currently set at $6.99 for Disney+ basic, and will be $9.99 per month for those looking for the premium ad-free experience. Additionally, only one extra member can be added per account, and it will not be on offer to those with Disney bundles or who access the service through partners; it will only be for accounts billed from Disney directly. On the plus side, if the added member chooses to go solo down the line, they can transfer everything from their profile, including settings and watch history.
They have also set up a feature for supported devices to be used outside of the household, under an “away from home” function, and made provision to transfer accounts should the account holder move. Both will require a specific one-time passcode to enact.
Overall, however, the deal fails to match up to Netflix’s own forays in the area, costing 87% of the cost of another account (on basic). However, those prices are likely set with the upcoming subscription hike anticipated for Disney, which would bring it down to 70% of the cost of a new account. Doubtless, they hope to encourage users to take up their own plans, especially the bundle options, which have been noted to have considerably less churn.
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