It’s the end of an era for Disney+ and Hulu password scroungers, as Disney announced it will begin cracking down on password sharing among subscribers.
On Wednesday, Disney sent a letter to Hulu subscribers saying it would begin “adding limitations” on “sharing your account outside of your household” starting March 14.
The company also quietly updated its subscription agreement on January 25 to include account sharing information.
Related: Disney combines Hulu and Disney+ streaming platforms
“Unless otherwise permitted by your service level, you may not share your subscription outside of your household,” the new policy states. “‘Household’ means the set of devices associated with the primary personal residence used by the persons who reside there.”
If subscribers are found in violation of the rule, Hulu “may limit or terminate access” to the account.
Disney+ and ESPN+ have also updated their subscription agreements to say the same thing, but there is no record of when the document was updated. Disney+ began banning users from sharing passwords outside of the same household in Canada last October.
Related: Disney+ is starting to crack down on password sharing – in Canada
Disney took operational control and a majority stake in Hulu in 2019, when it acquired the assets of 21 Century Fox and began merging Hulu and Disney+ content in May 2023.
Disney gained full control of the streaming service in November 2023 when it purchased Comcast’s remaining 33% stake for approximately $8.6 billion.
Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted that changes may be coming to Disney’s streaming service platforms during a third-quarter 2023 earnings call in August 2023, when the company announced price increases for some tiers of subscriptions Disney+ and Hulu.
“In calendar 24, we will address this issue,” Iger said of subscribers and password sharing at that time. “We’ve certainly made this a real priority. We actually think there’s an opportunity here to help us grow our business.”
Streaming rival Netflix famously banned password sharing outside the same household in March 2023, much to the dismay of loyal subscribers.
As of Thursday afternoon, Walt Disney Co. was down just over 11.3% for a year.