Families and friends sharing a password to use Disney+ are getting a reprieve.
Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said that while the company will start putting in technology into the service to start detecting password sharing next year, it subscribers won’t feel the impact until 2025.
“There’s no meaningful impact until 2025,” Iger said on a conference call with investors on Wednesday to discuss its fiscal fourth-quarter results.
Disney made headlines last quarter when Iger said it would follow in Netflix’s footsteps and start cracking down on password sharing, where friends and family use a common account to save money and access the service. Netflix rolled out its own password crackdown earlier this year, and despite the initial concerns over an exodus, has actually led to more customers signing up.
Disney is holding off because it has other priorities on its plate. The company is looking to launch an app that combines Hulu and Disney+ content in March, with a beta to be released in December. It’s still unclear if Disney will still keep the option of separate Disney+ and Hulu services (which also include the option for live TV). It’s also still working on a direct-to-consumer version of ESPN that Iger said would launch by 2025.
Iger’s comments offer a bit of relief for Disney+ users, which already dealt with a recent price hike — the second in less than a year.