Disney Hotstar India cracks down on account sharing to boost subscriptions

Disney Hotstar, the popular streaming service, is gearing up to crack down on account sharing. In a bid to tackle the rampant practice of password sharing, the company is planning to restrict login access for its premium users to only four devices.

According to a recent report by Reuters, this move comes as a response to the increasing concern over password sharing in the crucial Indian market. Competitor Netflix has already taken steps to address this issue by notifying subscribers in more than 100 countries that additional charges will apply for sharing their accounts with individuals outside their households.

Currently, the premium account of Disney Hotstar allows logins on up to 10 devices, even though the website shows a limit of four devices. However, the company has conducted internal tests and is set to implement the new login restriction later this year, aiming to curb excessive device sharing.

The decision to enforce this policy was driven by the belief that some users might be motivated to purchase their own subscriptions when faced with the restrictions. Initially, Disney adopted a more lenient approach, hoping that users who accessed the service through password sharing would eventually convert to paying customers.

India has emerged as a crucial market for streaming services, with Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and JioCinema witnessing significant popularity. Media Partners Asia estimates that the Indian streaming industry could become a massive $7 billion sector by 2027, as estimated by Media Partners Asia.

Hotstar, in particular, holds the top spot in the Indian market, boasting an impressive user base of approximately 50 million users, according to industry data.

To avoid inconveniencing its premium users, Disney Hotstar in India refrained from strictly enforcing the four-device login policy previously. The company found that only around 5% of its premium subscribers were using more than four devices to access the service.

The restriction on device logins will also apply to Disney Hotstar's cheaper plan, limiting its usage to two devices.

Also Watch: Netflix expands password-sharing crackdown worldwide