Walt Disney Co. has announced a significant change to its Disney+ streaming service, introducing fees for additional members outside the primary household. This move is part of the company’s broader strategy to increase profitability and subscriber growth.

Disney+ Introduces Fees for Extra Members

Disney+ subscribers can no longer share their accounts freely with people outside their household. Starting now, they must purchase an “extra member add-on” for this feature. The add-on costs USD7 per month for the basic subscription with commercials. For the ad-free premium tier, it will be USD10 per month. However, only one extra member is allowed per account.

The company’s decision comes as Disney+ and Hulu have been steadily raising their subscription prices to achieve profitability. In October, the monthly fee for ad-supported plans will increase to USD10, while the commercial-free version will jump to USD16. As of right now, this move only affects subscribers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Guatemala, Costa Rica and the Asia Pacific regions. However, I do foresee that this will affect Disney+ Hotstar subscribers here as well in very soon.

It’s important to note that the extra member function is not available for Disney Bundle subscribers or those billed by distributors, such as pay-TV operators.

Disney’s move follows in the footsteps of Netflix, which introduced its paid password-sharing program last year. This strategy has been credited with improving Netflix’s earnings in recent quarters. As streaming services continue to evolve, the industry is likely to see more measures aimed at monetizing shared accounts.

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