Disney+Hotstar could follow Netflix in restricting account sharing very soon | Digit

Soon after Netflix announced that it has put a restriction on password sharing, Disney+ Hotstar is next in line to do the same. According to an Economic Times report, the Indian wing of Walt Disney’s streaming service, Disney+ Hotstar, is also planning to put restrictions on users sharing passwords. 

The report suggests that Disney+ Hotstar is primarily enforcing the policy to limit its premium users from logging into more than four devices. Currently in India, a premium account user can still login into up to 10 devices with the same credentials. However, the website has been updated and mentions that premium users can only login into four devices with the same account. 

Also read: Netflix cracks down on password sharers in India: Will freeloaders pay up? Reactions are out

A source close to the company revealed to the Economic Times that Disney+Hotstar has been doing internal tests in regard to the “password-sharing” policy. They further revealed that the streaming giant will limit the logins to just four by the end of this year. 

The company hopes that with this restriction in place, people will be motivated to buy their own subscriptions, thereby increasing Disney+Hotstar’s users. 

Sources further revealed to ET that the streaming giant had initially hoped that not enforcing the “four-device login policy” will allow users to get a taste of the platform and eventually make them buy their own subscriptions.

It is not just Disney+ Hotstar that has resorted to limiting password sharing. Disney+ Hotstar’s immediate rival, Netflix also implemented this policy recently in more than 100 countries. Netflix informed users that if they wish to share their passwords outside their households then they will have to end up paying even more.

Also read: JioCinema vs Hotstar and other OTTs compared: Which to subscribe and which to skip?

Despite all this, there has been no official comment from Disney+ Hotstar in this regard. We can only wait to see what the company finally ends up implementing.