The Disney+ password sharing rollout begins ‘in earnest’ in September

A few months back, it was promised continuity , or the practice of multiple families using the same account with a streaming service. That is set to go live soon for many more users, meaning those who share an account will have to pay more or have separate subscriptions to continue using the service. Disney started targeting account sharing again in June. It will increase those efforts in the coming weeks.

Speaking of the streaming division, “we need to make it a high-return, profitable business and a successful business,” Disney CEO Bob Iger told investors Tuesday. “And we’re doing that right now. We started our password-sharing program in June. That starts, honestly, in September. However, we haven’t had any setbacks in the notifications that have gone out and the work that we’ve been doing.”

It’s unclear how much Disney will charge US customers to share their account with someone outside of the primary family. Netflix charges for each additional house, and .

It’s also worth noting that an extended password-sharing crack is planned just before Disney . Most Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ plans are going up $1 or $2 a month in October. Ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundles increase from $10 to $11 per month.

Iger added that along with bolstering the programming slate, Disney+ needs “strong recommendation engines” — something that works — and effective marketing to keep viewers engaged and paying for the service every month or year. To help with that, the company will soon begin rolling out what it calls “progressive playlists.” These will effectively broadcast day and night. The first collection includes ABC News Live and a playlist of TV shows and shorts for preschoolers.

Meanwhile, Disney revealed that its streaming business is now profitable. Disney + alone for the first time in the January-March period, and the entire direct-to-consumer (DTC) business was $ 47 million in the last dark quarter. That’s a big change from the $512 million loss Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ posted last year. Disney said the business was profitable in the quarter ahead of expectations.

The company is also planning a full rollout next year. Venu, the sports broadcasting joint venture from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, is planned to be , but that service is facing insecurity from competitors and .