Disney CEO On Password-Sharing Crackdown: “We Feel Quite Bullish About It”
There will be no one to stop Disney from going after Disney+ subscribers who share passwords soon, and CEO Bob Iger seems quite pleased with the plan. On an earnings call this morning, Iger expressed feeling “quite bullish about it.”
Interestingly enough, part of Iger’s optimism stems from a streaming competitor in Netflix. “Obviously, we’re heartened by the results that Netflix has delivered in their password-sharing initiative and believe that will be one of the contributors to growth, as [CFO Hugh Johnston] noted going forward,” said Iger on the call, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Netflix reportedly saw a huge growth in subscribers following a new ban on password-sharing by subscribers. In 2022, it was believed that roughly 100 million Netflix subscribers shared their accounts with family and friends.
The Disney password-word sharing crackdown will start in June before going fully operational in September. In fact, the first steps already took place in March when Disney updated terms for Disney+ and Hulu subscribers that prohibits offering your account info to people outside your residence.
Before the full rollout of the crackdown, Disney+ gained almost 8 million subscribers in the US and Canada for the company’s quarter ending March 30. For more, find out what’s new to Disney+ this month.
Looking ahead, Iger also talked about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying the new status quo will roughly be two Disney+ shows yearly in the superhero franchise.