After Netflix, Disney+ has also banned account sharing with a host of dissuasive measures. And the platform is also planning to add advertising to all its plans. Not sure that subscribers will appreciate that…
We suspected it, but this time, it’s for real: Disney++ is starting to take measures to enforce the end of account sharing! Last summer, the family entertainment giant had clearly expressed its desire to fight against this practice, while American subscribers received emails in September 2023 informing them of the changes made to the user agreement of its streaming platform, which includes “restrictions on account sharing”. It’s the turn of French subscribers to have the right! They have indeed received an email concerning there also a “update of the general subscription conditions”, as reported The Echo. Disney+ lists all the changes to their subscription contract in the coming weeks. On the agenda: end of account sharing and no more advertising!
Disney+: advertising in all subscriptions
Until now, the service offered, like Amazon and Netflix, a first level of package with advertising. The other subscriptions were therefore exempt. However, the platform indicates in its email that, from now on “All subscriptions may include limited advertising, promotional content, Disney brand information, sponsorship messages and other content, including advertisements within live content or special events that contain traditional commercial breaks.”
Concretely, this means that no subscription plan is safe from advertising during a series, film or documentary broadcast on the platform. It remains to be seen what the difference will be between the first two levels of packages, which were differentiated by the presence of advertising. The changes will come into effect in 30 days.
Disney+ account sharing: soon to end, like with Netflix
Long feared, the end of account sharing for Netflix subscribers was a real shock in the world of streaming. This practice, although very popular, is more popular than ever, with the proliferation of SVODs and significant price increases. The strategy of the Red N was risky because such a change in policy could have led to the departure of many customers.
Ultimately, the opposite happened, and six million new users finally decided to sign up for a new subscription between April and June 2023, which is much more than the number of departures. And that’s without counting the users who agreed to pay the extra €5.99 to add a member outside the household to existing accounts! This has clearly given some of its competitors ideas since, almost three months after Netflix, in early August 2023, Disney+ was preparing to test a restriction on account sharing in India, as reported by the British press agency Reuters.
Thus, users who want to access the platform and are not at home will see a message appear, explaining that they are not at home and suggesting that they create their own account. Disney+ clearly states that the service has the means to analyze the activity of its users. And the firm is not joking, because it explains, in the French contract, that “If we determine that you have breached this Agreement, we may restrict or terminate access to the Service” ! The same goes for the smart people who regularly use the platform via a web browser and who have installed an ad blocker.
The agreement also stipulates that the new rules will apply to all subscribers. “unless otherwise permitted by your service level”. The SVOD will set up a paid option, called “Extra Access”, to add additional households to accounts, similar to what Netflix did – €5.99 per new household for the N rouge. It remains to be seen whether the squatters will subscribe to their own offer, as was the case for the N rouge, or whether disgruntled users will desert the platform.
Disney+ Account Sharing: A Way to Replenish the Coffers
The general conditions of use, or CGU, have already been modified to include a statement explaining that subscribers “will agree not to usurp or distort [son] affiliation with any person or entity, including using another person’s username, password or other account information, or another person’s name or likeness, or providing false details about a parent or guardian.”
This decision is hardly surprising, because the platform needs to replenish its coffers. Indeed, after having invested heavily in the production of original series and films – in particular for Star Wars and the Marvel universe – the company with the big ears must confront profitability issues. And this is not the first time that it has looked to Netflix to find the solution. Last November, it launched the Standard formula with advertising in France, a subscription partly financed by advertising, and increased its prices (see our article).