UPDATED with new exec comments. Disney CEO Bob Iger has offered more precise timing for Disney’s previously announced plan to crack down on password sharing on streaming flagship Disney+, saying it will start rolling out in June.
During a wide-ranging CNBC interview Thursday after a successful effort to thwart activist investor Nelson Peltz in a proxy fight, Iger said, “In June we’ll be launching our first real foray into password sharing.” The initiative, he added, will start in “just a few countries in a few markets, but then it will grow significantly with a full rollout in September.” Along with other aspects to the company’s streaming strategy, the Netflix-like stance on passwords “will turn this business into a business that we feel really good about.” The company had announced in February that it was targeting summer 2024 for the new plan. PREVIOUSLY: Disney this summer will roll out a paid password sharing plan on its Disney+ streaming flagship that CEO Bob Iger says was directly influenced by Netflix’s successful initiative last year.
Starting this summer, CFO Hugh Johnston said during Wednesday’s quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts, Disney+ accounts “suspected of improper sharing will be presented with new capabilities” letting them sign up for the service.
Later in 2024, he added, subscribers who want to share their accounts with someone outside their household can start paying an as-yet-undisclosed fee for that flexibility.
Read more on deadline.com