In a move that aligns with recent trends in the streaming industry, Walt Disney Co.-owned DIS Hulu has cracked down on password sharing, now limiting use to a single household.
What Happened: Hulu updated its subscriber agreement on Friday, prohibiting subscribers from sharing their accounts outside of their households.
The term “household” is defined as the group of devices linked to the subscriber’s primary personal residence and used by the individuals living there. The policy further states that additional usage rules may apply for certain service tiers.
Hulu also says it can analyze account usage to ensure compliance with the agreement. In case of any violation, Hulu may limit or terminate access to the service or take any other action as permitted by the agreement.
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Why It Matters: Hulu's updated account usage policy follows the wider trends in the streaming industry.
In July 2023, following a crackdown on password sharing, Netflix Inc. NFLX updated its Profile Transfer feature to allow users to transfer their complete watch history from one account to another.
Later in October, Disney+ also tightened its subscription sharing rules, prohibiting sharing subscriptions outside of one’s household unless permitted by the service tier.
By November, YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL, had started enforcing rules requiring its family plan subscribers to live in the same household. This was coupled with a significant price hike for its YouTube Premium service in several countries.
These changes across the industry indicate a shift towards stricter control over account usage and monetization of account sharing.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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