The time has come: Account sharing now also costs extra with Disney+

Disney has long announced that it intends to take action against free account sharing. CEO Bob Iger even announced in April that paid account sharing would be introduced in September.

It's now the end of September - and just in time to fulfil its promise: Anyone who wants to share their plan with a Family member or friend outside of their household will have to pay in future, as the streaming provider announced on its website on Wednesday. We can now also find out how much the plan guest costs and what "privileges" they enjoy.

High costs for a guest

The basic principle remains the same: one account per household. However, you can now add a so-called "additional member" to your Disney+ subscription.

In Germany, the fees for the Extra member are €4.99 per month for a Basic package with adverts. Or an additional 5.99 euros for subscription plans without adverts. In Switzerland, you pay an additional 6.90 francs per month on top of your Standard plan with adverts. Or 7.90 francs for a plan without adverts.

This results in the following costs per household per month:

• Standard plan with advertising (CHF 7.90) + 1 additional member (CHF 6.90) = CHF 14.80
• Standard subscription without advertising (CHF 12.90) + 1 additional member (CHF 7.90) = CHF 20.80
• Premium plan without advertising (CHF 17.90) + 1 additional member (CHF 7.90) = CHF 25.80

The extra costs are for just one additional member - "only one extra member slot is available per account", it says. These are hefty sums that inevitably make you wonder whether it's worth getting your own account.

In addition to the restrictive one-slot limit, there are other limitations and restrictions. The additional member can only have one profile and can only stream on one device at a time. They must be of legal age and live in the same country in which the Disney+ account was created. The new feature is also only available for plans taken out directly with Disney. This means that anyone who uses Disney+ as part of a bundle with other suppliers will not have the option.

Disney+ vs. Netflix: the differences to the original

Obviously, Disney's rules are largely modelled on those of Netflix. There, too, an additional member can only use one device at a time. However, the prices are slightly lower: with Netflix, you pay an additional 5.90 francs for the standard and premium subscription. Or 4.99 euros in Germany. There are also differences in the number of additional members: With a premium subscription to Netflix, you can add two people.

Netflix has already achieved what Disney is currently still dreaming of with paid account sharing: the fear that customers would run away in droves due to the new account sharing rule did not materialise. On the contrary, at the end of 2023, the company even recorded the fastest growth in subscriptions in its history. Over 260 million plans were registered at the time, and by mid-2024 this figure had risen to 277 million. And the trend is rising.

It remains to be seen whether Disney will succeed. The streaming provider wants to be profitable in all streaming segments by the end of the year. After all: Disney+ and Hulu are in the black - for the first time in their company histories. ESPN+ is to follow.