Streaming plataform Disney+ (The Walt Disney Company) moves forward in its battle to crackdown on account sharing. It has just implemented the Extra Member add-on option in order to allow the inclusion of someone outside the account holder’s household for an additional monthly fee. In its initial stage, the option is available in the United States, Canada, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

This marks the official launch of Disney+’s crackdown on OTT account sharing, a battle Netflix embarked on in 2022. According to information provided by Disney, the new feature was put in place on a trial basis in a few territories in June 2024.

The premise behind Disney+’s paid sharing plan is the same as the one adopted by Netflix. Accounts are designed for use in a single household; therefore, all the devices logged into each account must be used by people living in the same household. If a friend or relative wishes to share the account, it will be necessary to use the Extra Member add-on option and to pay an additional fee.

Disney’s press release includes the following explanation: “If you’re on the go and you see the message ‘This TV doesn’t seem to be part of the household for this account’, you can mark yourself as ‘I am away form home’, or select ‘Update Household’ if you’ve recently moved and need to reset the household location for your Disney+ subscription. These selections will require a one-time passcode that’s sent to the email address associated with the account.”