It begins – Disney+ cracks down on account sharing

You knew it was coming and now it's arrived: Disney+ has begun cracking down on account sharing, including in the UK. And it appears to be more limited than Netflix's account sharing rules, on which the Disney+ system has clearly been based.

The crackdown is starting this week in multiple countries alongside the launch of the streamer's new Paid Sharing Platform. That enables you to add an additional viewer who doesn't live under the same roof as you. But there are limits on what you can share and who you can share with.

As Disney explains in a blog post: "Your Disney+ subscription is meant to be used within your Household, which is a collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside there."

Basically, if you want to add someone else to that Household, you'll need to add them as an Extra Member before they are allowed to use the streaming service.

How much is Disney+ account sharing in the UK?

I've just gone into my own Disney+ account and the Extra Member feature is live (under Account on the Disney Plus website). The UK prices are:

• Disney+ Standard with Ads: £3.99 per month
• Disney+ Standard: £4.99 per month
• Disney+ Premium: £4.99 per month

You can only add one person to your account (Netflix Premium enables you to add two), and the extra member can only stream to one device at a time. All other features should be identical to the main account holder. 

There are some limitations in the small print. You can't send an Extra Member invitation to an email address "associated with an active or lapsed Disney+ subscription", and each member must be 18 or over and reside in the same country as you. 

Thankfully, as with Netflix, you can get access when you travel. If you try to access your Disney+ subscription from a different TV, you'll be given the option to send a one-time code to your email address to temporarily add the new device.