Netflix continues to be a trendsetter in the streaming industry, with Disney+ announcing plans to curb password sharing for users on its popular platform.
Password sharing, while a decidedly frowned upon practice in the world of cybersecurity, was the main draw of streaming platforms for years. With more and more platforms popping up, it was the only way to keep costs low in the face of lofty cable prices.
Now, though, Netflix has unleashed a paradigm-shifting feature that could have users paying a lot more for their favorite shows, and Disney+ seems poised to follow its lead.
Disney+ to Crack Down on Password Sharing
In an earnings call with shareholders, Disney CEO Bob Iger noted that the company was exploring ways to curb password sharing on its Disney+ platform, explaining that there are quite a few users partaking in the practice of avoiding subscription costs.
“We already have the technical capability to monitor much of this. I’m not going to give a specific number, except to say that it is significant.”
Luckily, you still have some time to continue sharing passwords with family and friends to watch shows like The Mandalorian and Secret Invasion. Iger specified that these are merely exploratory measures right now and that nothing will roll out until 2024 at the earliest.
Still, these changes are definitely coming, as the Disney CEO said that the measure is a “real priority” for the platform moving forward.
How Netflix Curbed Password Sharing
Netflix obviously paved the way for Disney+ to explore a way to curb password sharing.
Earlier this year, with the popular streaming platform requiring users to log in from their home Wi-Fi at least once per month to get access to their favorite shows and movies.
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While the methodology was criticized for a myriad of reasons, the campaign appears to be an early success, as Netflix reportedly added nearly 6 million users, representing an 8% increase for the company. Additionally, those numbers have helped boost revenue for Netflix as the company reported a 3% increase during the same time period.
The Future of Streaming
The streaming industry has been grasping at straws to become profitable for years now. Between launching ad-supported tiers like it's going out of style and underpaying writers and actors to the point of an industry-wide strike, it's safe to say that platforms like Netflix and Disney+ are hard up for more revenue.
Now, with Netflix boasting about the early success of the campaign and Disney+ quickly following suit, there's a good chance that this will tragically become common practice for the streaming industry in the near future, particularly considering the popular platform Hulu is owned by Disney.
All that to say, cordcutters are in for a rude awakening in the coming years, as their clever hack to avoid the high cost of cable is likely going to come crumbling down with password sharing on the way out.
Check out our password security guide for more information
