After Netflix, Disney Hotstar India planning to restrict account sharing: Report

Walt Disney’s India streaming service plans to start out imposing a coverage of permitting its premium customers to login from solely 4 units, an effort aimed toward limiting password sharing in a key market, two sources with direct information mentioned.

Disney’s plan comes simply as streaming rival Netflix in May began telling subscribers in additional than 100 nations they might want to pay extra to share the service with individuals exterior their family.

In India, a premium account of Disney Hotstar streaming service nonetheless permits logins on as many as 10 units, although its web site presently says “number of devices that can be logged in” is 4.

Disney Hotstar has internally examined enforcement of the coverage and has plans to start out implementing it later this yr to restrict logins at 4 for such accounts, mentioned the primary particular person.

“Some people will be incentivised to buy” their very own subscriptions with new restrictions in place, mentioned the particular person.

Disney declined to remark.

Disney had hoped that not strictly imposing the four-device login coverage would entice subscribers who may begin accessing the service through password sharing however then finally purchase their very own accounts, the particular person added.

Disney, Netflix, Amazon and billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema have grow to be vastly fashionable in India, which is ready to develop right into a $7 billion marketplace for the sector by 2027, Media Partners Asia estimates.

Industry knowledge says Hotstar is market chief by way of customers with roughly 50 million.

The second supply mentioned Disney Hotstar in India didn’t implement the four-device login coverage because it didn’t wish to inconvenience premium customers and had detected internally that solely round 5% of its premium subscribers logged in from greater than 4 units.

The new deliberate restriction can even apply to its cheaper plan which can restrict utilization throughout two units, the second supply added.

Disney’s Hotstar topped India’s streaming market between January 2022 and March 2023 with a 38% share of viewership, whereas rivals Netflix and Prime Video held 5% every, knowledge from analysis agency Media Partners Asia confirmed.

Walt Disney can be in preliminary discussions internally to discover choices to promote or discover a three way partnership companion for its India digital and TV enterprise, based on a supply with direct information.