Max starting to crackdown on password-sharing
Max will start notifying subscribers about paid sharing before the end of the year. New subscribers and multi-household members will need to pay more if they want to share their subscription with members outside their household. Disney+ and Netflix already charge subscribers a fee to share their passwords.
The Circana Take:
- Notably, the password sharing crack downs are coming from the largest streaming providers first (Netflix and Disney) and then trickling downstream. It will be more challenging for the next tier of providers, e.g. Paramount+, Peacock, to generate extra member fees, particularly as subscription cycling continues to accelerate. It’s hard to keep an extra member on an account that you jump in and out of. And it’s hard to justify the added fee for a service that subscribers are less loyal to.
Disney+ celebrates 5th anniversary
Disney+ is celebrating its fifth anniversary, by offering content from Marvel, Star Wars, Hulu and FX and a launch of new Disney+ Perks exclusively for its subscribers. The slate of titles includes "Daredevil";” The Bear” (Season 4); “Ironheart”; “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” and “The Handmaid's Tale” (Season 6). Disney+ will also launch Disney+ Perks exclusively for its subscribers including early access to special event tickets and merchandise, sweepstakes, and a discount to The Happiest Place on Earth at the Disneyland Resort.
The Circana Take:
- In this saturated market, companies are looking for ways to differentiate and keep viewers subscribing to their platform. Disney can increase the value of its streaming service far beyond content, something few of its competitors can do.
Amazon is phasing out Freevee
Amazon will be phasing out its Freevee service over the next few weeks. Content on the service will be moved under the Prime Video brand where it will remain free. While there is no change in available content for Prime members, free content will be limited for non-Prime members. Popular Freevee original content includes “Jury Duty;” “Bosch: Legacy;” “Leverage: Redemption;” and “Judy Justice.” Freevee originally launched under the name IMDb nearly five years ago and then rebranded as IMDb TV.
The Circana Take:
- This was an inevitable next step following the launch of the Prime Video AVOD tier earlier this year. Managing two disparate ad-supported services just doesn’t make much sense.