Disney+ Account Sharing Crackdown Goes Global With Paid Sharing Plan

[webkit]

Disney + is a great deal compared to the price of admission and food at a Disney Park.

Disney+ is a "great deal" compared to what they used to charge for the Disney Channel (with much less content, no on demand, etc.) when it launched back in the 1980s. The Disney Channel could run around $11/month which is around $35/month in today's dollars. Even with the recent price increases, Disney+ is still only $9.99/month with ads or $16.99/month ad-free.

 

[arcite]

Thought experiment:

Imagine everyone listens to you and all digital content, video, audio (music) and software are pirated.

Who exactly will pay the salary of the folks behind the scenes? Forget the movie/tv stars or musicians for a second, who pays the writers, set designers, sound people, editors, caterers, janitors... you know, all the union labor you support in every union related thread or story?

Funny how some cannot comprehend this simple math and if I were to look hard enough I bet the very same people that promote piracy are the same people who cry about artists getting paid more by streaming services... you do realize that can't happen if everyone pirates right???

If no one pays for the content no one gets paid for creating content.

Inconvenient fact; most media is pirated in the world….today. Around 80%. It’s rich developed countries that are paying for it all. So, if you like paying through the nose and enriching the oligopoly, please do continue.

I do pay for a few streaming sports services (even though there are plenty of pirated sources for that too).

 

[gk_brown]

Streaming services are only "expensive" if you try to sub to them all at once. One or two at a time is the answer.

The services should be priced such that this sort of nuisance isn't necessary.

 

[brofkand]

I still get Disney+ and Apple Music included through my legacy VZW get more (I think that's the name) plan so I don't pay for it.

I do watch some stuff on Hulu, and Marvel stuff when I want a distraction, but I don't think I would be paying as much as it costs for it out of pocket.

I totally understand the crackdown on the "sharing" part of it. I mean, someone can't log into my Apple music and listen to it at the same time I am.

To me, in the end content costs money. Movies and TV shows don't make themselves. The artists that make the product deserve to be paid, just like anyone else who produces a product. So if I believe the cost is reasonable I will pay for the product. If I don't think the cost is reasonable, I won't view or consume it as I see that as theft.

This is how the market is supposed to operate. If Disney thinks they can charge more and people will pay it, then they will and Disney will turn a profit. If not, they will be forced to reduce prices or end the service.

But they have a right to be sure people consuming their product are playing by the rules and paying for it. And it's Disney's house, do they make the rules. You have the right to vote with your dollars and your eyeballs.

I also pay for Paramount+ and Amazon Prime. Between the 3 and OTA there is plenty to watch. We get all the major channels at my house with an antenna, and most of the time we're watching broadcast TV anyway.

The fatal flaw of all these services is they made them artificially cheap at the beginning to attract subscribers, and nobody really wants to pay more than that. Or not enough people, anyway.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Inconvenient fact; most media is pirated in the world….today. Around 80%. It’s rich developed countries that are paying for it all. So, if you like paying through the nose and enriching the oligopoly, please do continue.

I do pay for a few streaming sports services (even though there are plenty of pirated sources for that too).

If one stops consuming said content, in it's entirety, then one of two things happen 1) they lower the price to bring you back, or 2) they quit producing said content and possibly go out of business.

There is nothing Disney produces or pays for that can't be done without. Pirating tells the companies that their product is a need, not a luxury. Ignoring it until it hits a price level you accept says "The market says you content is only worth so much, so don't go over this line".

I'm not entitled to their products, just like they aren't entitled to my money.

 

[sflagel]

The EU needs to step in already and let me watch what I want from whatever streaming service!

/s

Why the /s? That’s how it works with music. I am delighted that I only have to subscribe to one music streaming service. Aren’t you?

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I agree with the family sentiment. If each person using the plan is part of my immediate family it should be covered. Just because my daughter lives near school does not mean she is no longer part of the family. Netflix already takes extra for this fact but Disney will get none because the plan has been canceled.

It's called a Household plan, not a family plan, but apart from that, IF they did have a Family plan, how do they prove who is family and who isn't? That's what has spurred password sharing in the first place! So the only way anyone can tell who is using your account is by location, not DNA.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

It's called a Household plan, not a family plan, but apart from that, IF they did have a Family plan, how do they prove who is family and who isn't? That's what has spurred password sharing in the first place! So the only way anyone can tell who is using your account is by location, not DNA.

I don't know about Disney+, but with other services like Netflix, I've heard they mostly track by stationary logged-in devices (roku, tv, apple tv), and not mobile devices as there is no good way to know if they live in a household. They could watch anywhere or only via cell, but still live at said address.

 

[2761216]

They are profitable as of last quarter, but have historically lost money on it.

Disney’s streaming business turned a profit for the first time

Disney Plus didn’t add many subscribers, though.

www.theverge.com

That’s what happens when there’s a 200 different streaming services with none providing any real value while constantly jacking up the prices. What did they expect? Ppl to go bankrupt their accounts to line up their pockets?

 

[citysnaps]

I like it. Vote with your $$$ and send a message.

Same here. The sad news is there are many people who believe they're entitled to free stuff.

I'm guessing that has a lot to do with how you're raised growing up.

 

[Supercyborgninja]

I cancelled Hulu, never getting anything Disney related again.

Good riddance!

 

[brofkand]

Why the /s? That’s how it works with music. I am delighted that I only have to subscribe to one music streaming service. Aren’t you?

Could you imagine if you had to sign up for one streaming service to listen to artists signed on Decca, another for artists on BMG, etc….thankfully, music isn’t set up that way. There might be exclusive tracks on one service or another (and Garth Brooks is I believe still exclusive to Amazon), but by and large all the services have all the music.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

That’s cool. This just means I’ll invest in some new disks for my NAS during the fall sales period and start hitting the high seas even harder. No loss to me. I’ll have an ROI period for the new disks but I’ll still be better off.

So you don't even have a D+ account now? I guarantee they won't miss your zero income.

 

[iRobz]

Streamers Law:

10 Find 1 or 2 services with content you find of value at the presented price
20 Subscribe and binge
30 Cancel
40 Goto 10

Streaming services are only "expensive" if you try to sub to them all at once. One or two at a time is the answer.

Stop treating streaming like cable and you will win.

And then Netflix introduces a ‘x’ monthly minimum plan and all the other streamers follow suit!

 

[sflagel]

Could you imagine if you had to sign up for one streaming service to listen to artists signed on Decca, another for artists on BMG, etc….thankfully, music isn’t set up that way. There might be exclusive tracks on one service or another (and Garth Brooks is I believe still exclusive to Amazon), but by and large all the services have all the music.

I expect studio tie-in [edited] streamers like Paramount and Disney to give up and large distributors like Amazon and Apple to consolidate content. I hope that at least. And if it doesn’t, then yes, I believe competition regulators can step in - that’s their job and when they do it, it’s always good for the consumer (AT&T, automobile distribution, Standard Oil, MS/browser wars).

 

[audiomixer]

I wonder how this is going to work for Disney Plus subscribers who access the service via a Verizon wireless bundle? My cell phone plan is a massive shared family plan with in-laws, siblings and cousins who live across the US. We added the Disney plus bundle to our cell phone bill because it allows us all to share the cost, and thus the service. Now we're forced to decide who is the primary Disney subscriber even though it's on everyone's phone bill? To my knowledge, you cannot add more than one Disney service per Verizon bill.

Yes, exactly this ^^. At the time i was told one disney bundle account for my Verizon account regardless of user location in this country.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I expect single studio streamers like Paramount and Disney to give up and large distributors like Amazon and Apple to consolidate content. I hope that at least. And if it doesn’t, then yes, I believe competition regulators can step in - that’s their job and when they do it, it’s always good for the consumer (AT&T, automobile distribution, Standard Oil, MS/browser wars).

Disney is not a single studio streamer, they own Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures. They also own ESPN.

 

[timber]

I've got free D+ through my ISP but there really isn't enough regular content to be worth keeping a continuous subscription.

Only sharing still made it worthwhile as it lowers the average price.

 

[sflagel]

Disney is not a single studio streamer, they own Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures.

Edited to clarify that it’s not about the size but the tie-in. (BMG, the music-related example in the comment I replied to, is also not a single record label).

 

[contacos]

Why the /s? That’s how it works with music. I am delighted that I only have to subscribe to one music streaming service. Aren’t you?

Was more like a "as if that would ever happen". I am with you

 

[IIGS User]

Disney+ is a "great deal" compared to what they used to charge for the Disney Channel (with much less content, no on demand, etc.) when it launched back in the 1980s. The Disney Channel could run around $11/month which is around $35/month in today's dollars. Even with the recent price increases, Disney+ is still only $9.99/month with ads or $16.99/month ad-free.

Well. FORGET IT.

 

[Rychiar]

I suspect the rise in the price of streaming correlates strongly with the popularity of pirating, and once people get used to getting their content for free, good luck convincing them to come back with "special offers".

pirating hasn't been popular in years cus streaming was cheap and easy. raising the prices and making it more difficult to use will push people back to pirating. Most people these days don't even know what BitTorrent is.

 

[Rychiar]

I am in the middle of a Hulu trial (they send me these offers every year) and when I got notice of the price increase for Hulu I canceled my subscription before the pay date.

Best strategy is just buy one month per year and binge. After about a year without subscribing these services tend to send out trial invites.

buy Hulu every Black Friday and swap between 2 emails. I've had I for $1 a month for like 6 years

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

I had cancelled Disney because wasn't watching anything. I subscribed just last month again after over a year off, but now will probably cancel again. If my single, young adult/college age kids cannot share my account, it's not worth it to me.

I was on Netflix's highest plan. Paying $24/month. Wut. I dropped it down to their lowest $7 plan with ads. Watching a series in 1080P vs. 4K isn't that big a deal. The ads? They give me a chance to get up and get a snack, use the restroom, or check stuff on my phone. Actually liking it!

 

[JamesMay82]

Bring back physical media! or I find it cheaper to just buy the movies or shows I want on iTunes and then you own it digitally. it works out cheaper than streaming I think. Especially with Disney, once you own the key films that your kids watch you're then probably only buying 1 or 2 new ones a year so again its cheaper than a lifetime of streaming.

same with music - I just bought 500 cd's from Facebook market place for £75