Disney+ will unveil major changes with an additional FEE in just a few months
DISNEY+ has announced that the fight against password sharing will last years this summer.
The House of Mouse follows in the footsteps of Netflix, which managed to turn their fortunes around last year with a similar tactic.
Bosses have revealed that users 'suspected of inappropriate sharing' will see a pop-up message urging them to start their own subscription.
People who want to continue piggybacking on someone else's account can add people from outside their household for an additional fee.
We're big Disney fans, but I'm tired of the greed
Disney+ user
Disney has not announced how much the costs will be.
Netflix is currently doing the same and charging each additional user £2.50/$2.99 per month.
“We want to reach as wide an audience as possible with our excellent content,” said Hugh Johnston, Disney's Chief Financial Officer.
“We look forward to rolling out this new functionality to improve the overall customer experience and grow our subscriber base.”
How to get FREE Disney+
There are ways for users to legally access Disney+ for free.
If you own a Samsung device from the last few years, you can redeem a year of free access – instructions on how it works can be found here.
Those who don't have a qualifying gadget can still save money on Disney+ by using other tricks.
You can redeem Tesco Clubcard points to pay for Disney+.
And Virgin Media O2 customers can get £2 off Disney+ via the free Priority app by adding the service to their bill.
Fans of the service are furious about the move on social media.
“With the price increase and not allowing password sharing, it's time to cancel Disney+ and buy Paramount+,” one user wrote.
“We're big Disney fans but I'm tired of the greed,” another fumed.
“I think I'll be canceling Disney+ then,” a third person concluded.
Hard times
Disney is tightening its belt after the latest figures show that the company's streaming platform will have lost 1.3 million subscribers by the end of 2023.
Separate data from UK ratings organization Barb suggests the number of people subscribing to paid streaming has fallen across the board.
It is claimed that 7.3 million homes in the UK had access to Disney+ in the last three months of 2023, up from 7.6 million the three months before.
In an attempt to turn things around, Disney has announced a new $1.5 billion partnership with Fortnite.
How to lower your streaming bills with the best FREE TV
Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime aren't cheap – and subscription costs seem to be rising year after year.
Fortunately, there are a lot of free streaming TV alternatives that not everyone knows about.
And we're not just talking about BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
Here are some free alternatives worth trying: