Disney Fights Streaming Account Sharing With Help From Cable Industry (arstechnica.com) 46
Disney and Charter Communications are teaming up to fight account sharing in an attempt to prevent multiple people from using a single account to access streaming video services. Ars Technica reports: The battle against account sharing was announced as Disney and the nation's second-biggest cable company struck a new distribution agreement involving Disney's Hulu, ESPN+, and the forthcoming Disney+. Customers could still buy those online services directly from Disney, but the new deal would also let them make those purchases through Charter's Spectrum TV service. If you buy a Disney service through Charter, be aware that the companies will work together to prevent you from sharing a login with friends. Disney and Charter said in their announcement yesterday that they have "agreed to work together on piracy mitigation. The two companies will work together to implement business rules and techniques to address such issues as unauthorized access and password sharing."
The crackdown could target people who use Charter TV account logins to sign into Disney services online. Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has complained about account sharing several times over the past few years while criticizing TV networks for not fully locking down their content. "There's lots of extra streams, there's lots of extra passwords, there's lots of people who could get free service," Rutledge said at an industry conference in 2017. He argues that password sharing has helped people avoid buying cable TV. ESPN has also complained about account sharing, calling it piracy. Another possibility is that Charter could monitor usage of its broadband network to help Disney fight account sharing. For example, Disney could track the IP addresses of users signing in to its services, and Charter could match those IP addresses to those of its broadband customers.
The crackdown could target people who use Charter TV account logins to sign into Disney services online. Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has complained about account sharing several times over the past few years while criticizing TV networks for not fully locking down their content. "There's lots of extra streams, there's lots of extra passwords, there's lots of people who could get free service," Rutledge said at an industry conference in 2017. He argues that password sharing has helped people avoid buying cable TV. ESPN has also complained about account sharing, calling it piracy. Another possibility is that Charter could monitor usage of its broadband network to help Disney fight account sharing. For example, Disney could track the IP addresses of users signing in to its services, and Charter could match those IP addresses to those of its broadband customers.
Bigger targets (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re: Bigger targets (Score:2)
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My error. I thought you didn't understand what you were saying. I now see as you point out it is much worse, as you have no idea why you were even saying it instead.
This has literally nothing to do with content sharing, it is service "sharing", ergo while one of is is certainly not very bright, you aren't quite bright enough to figure out that person is clearly yourself.
As the Owners of Star Wars They Should Know That.. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Except Disney owns a rather large amount of content in many different categories. Sure, you could boycott them, but you definitely miss out.
With that said, there really isn't that much great stuff on any of the media content so it really comes down to wanting to have random stuff in common with different people for social bindings.
Besides, even if I have to stop my self from vomiting at some of the politics they try to shovel, I still get plenty of laughing out of lots of their movies, so it's ultimately a
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Charter is just now publicly declaring all your information is up for sale, all your internet access all your internet data, all your accounts, all your logings. On charter you digital life is now fully for sale and that includes having your connection run by remote control for who ever wants to buy it. You pay for your connection and then charter sells control of the connection to other parties.
Expect force fed advertisements of charter. If you are a charter customers call them and forcefully inform them,
Information wants to be...shared. (Score:5, Insightful)
Disney and Charter Communications are teaming up to fight account sharing in an attempt to prevent multiple people from using a single account to access streaming video services.
Or do Like Netflix does and have a certain number of streams per a tier.
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There you go....the better idea I was hinting at in my post. Yup that will work really well! And does not stop me from watching content from my hotel room when on vacation. Great Idea!
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Exactly. Or even just limit the streams - you can have 4 simultaneous streams, but only 1 in HD (for say the main TV), while the other 3 are SD level streaming for phones and tablets. Or 1 stream from a TV or streaming box like a Roku, and the other streams must be from a mobile device.
Offer additional tiers for those who want to have multiple high def streams or TVs.
And then make it such that a new stream can interrupt an existing stre
Good news for Disney (Score:5, Interesting)
I'll never ever share my Disney streaming password(s).
I'll never pay them anything for streaming
and enjoy the ad-free content I want from their services from "Other Sources"
Hope Disney Fails (Score:2)
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Unfortunately if there was one company that has almost no possibility of failing at something like this, it's Disney.
They have a _massive_ collection of highly valuable content. They'd have to be massively unlucky or totally botch everything to fail.
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Disney lost the VCR recording battle. They have been known to fail :)
Good for them (Score:3, Insightful)
If you don't want to pay for video then hook up an antenna or borrow DVDs from the library.
Re: Good for them (Score:1)
Lol @ âoeas somebody who ...â
So what youâ(TM)re saying is that you approve of you, and youâ(TM)re glad that those who arenâ(TM)t like you are getting punished?
Gosh, I never expected to see THAT in an Internet forum. People are usually so self-critical and non-judgmental of others.
I took a screenshot since Iâ(TM)m pretty sure thatâ(TM)s the last time itâ(TM)ll ever be done.
Re: Good for them (Score:1)
don't do per device fees just per stream (Score:4, Insightful)
don't do per device fees just per steams at the same time
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Home and work watching?
RV and home watching?
Get the MAC and serial number of the cable "box" and have once account, one show, one location?
With the ability to rent/upgrade to more "display" time in the home?
Want wifi and US wide "TV" roaming? Thats another upgrade?
That would allow for a very low cost, low res one display product.
A 4K, around the house, more displays product.
An around the USA product.
Everyone
unauthorized access = outside home needs full acco (Score:2)
unauthorized access = outside home needs full account not just added boxes.
With cable you only really get away with that if you in the same node or maybe local headend. (not stacked super head ends)
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Becomes problematic for mobile users, which isn't exactly a small niche.
As others have said, charge per concurrent stream. Sure some people will still work out some kind of time sharing, but most people are going to get annoyed when they get kicked out of their session because their buddy logged on.
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and some can just pay that added concurrent stream at say $5 each vs an full account starting at $30+
People some time do that with dish / directv
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I think that slightly higher level of effort would still knock down a huge chunk of the problem.
It's one thing to just give a friend your netflix password, it's another to pay even a small amount extra yourself for the privilege or collect the money from them on a regular basis. Sure, some people are still going to do it, but there's always going to be that element, and at a point you start losing more in lost customers due to all the added hassle and loss of utility than you were from the people ripping yo
And How Is This Going to Work? (Score:5, Insightful)
Quote: "For example, Disney could track the IP addresses of users signing in to its services, and Charter could match those IP addresses to those of its broadband customers."
So I am on vacation and log into my account from my tablet in the hotel room and I will be DENIED access for content I pay for? That is total BS. Charter and Disney you are idiots there are extremely simple solutions to the problem without penalizing the people who are NOT password sharing.
Humm, let me think, oh yeah my bank does this. I sign in from somewhere else and they ask to verify my device or IP and they send a CODE to my phone. Now if I password SHARE they don't have my phone and cannot receive the CODE. What if I am stupid enough to send them the codes from my phone and be inconvenienced with CODEs day and night well then that is on me. Heck there is probably a version of this that is even better, matching or blocking IPs will only cause a lot of problems for the customer.
Heck I guess I will just stop subscribing to Disney...yeah that is what they wanted less subscribers. Got It!
Re: And How Is This Going to Work? (Score:1)
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Also, why can't we stream from our rented DVRs' recordings?
Smart? (Score:2)
I they were *smart they would begin their steaming service by ALLOWING 2 friend to share the account.
Begin.
*Find me when you are willing to accept a lucrative consulting agreement.
are they just this incompetent? (Score:3)
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Literally Everyone Does This (Score:2)
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"Hey look, Odie's guarding his dog bowl!" (Score:1)
Does Charter really want to do this? (Score:3)
Because what is going to happen? I can only stream my stuff from my fixed Charter-IP now? Ok. Then my fixed Charter-IP will request the stream. Then forward it to whatever other location wants to watch it. The net result is more traffic through the Charter network. Nothing else.
Disney is already fighting this the best way (Score:2)
Disney is already taking steps to fight this the best way - by making prices for streaming reasonable enough so that many more people can and will purchase them.
All of the other efforts will amount to nothing.
Shiver Me Timbers (Score:1)
Greedy media giants like Disney are what have fueled the anti-copyright & piracy movements over the past couple of decades. Trying to squeeze even more money out of your legitimate paying customers is what is going to push even more people towards piracy... that's just common sense.
It seems that the movie/music industries are becoming increasingly less profitable and they are trying to fill the gap with bullshit tactics like limiting account sharing. Eventually we'll just get to the point where both ind
VPN? (Score:2)
Well... (Score:2)
Keep squeezing your fists harder, and watch as more and more slips through your fingers...