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Hulu to enforce new restrictions on widespread subscription sharing
Hulu is preparing to crack down on subscribers who share their logins with family, friends and former flings, following similar moves by competitors such as Netflix and Disney+.
Beginning March 14, Hulu users will only be able to share their account logins with members of their own household, the company said Wednesday in an email to its subscribers. The new policy is already effective for Hulu customers that subscribed on or after January 25.
“We’re adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household, and explaining how we may assess your compliance with these limitations,” Hulu said in the email.
The company added that it would limit or terminate the accounts of users who violate the new rules. Less sharing, more revenue
Hulu is planning to curb subscription mooching as part of a broader push to boost its subscriber base and grow its revenue. The platform’s average monthly on-demand-only subscriber revenue fell to $12.11 last fall, down 2% compared with the previous quarter, a financial filing from Hulu’s parent company Disney shows. During that time, the streaming service lost roughly 100,000 subscribers of its on-demand service, shaving its number of users down to 43.9 million, the document shows.
Password sharing is very common among consumers: According to a survey from data retrieval firm Secure Data Recovery, 69% of Americans admit to using another person’s streaming service account at some point.
Among Hulu subscribers in the U.S., 51% said they share their login credentials with others, according to a 2023 poll from product review website Reviews.org. That makes Hulu the second most-shared streaming service after Netflix which has a total of 85% U.S. account holders who admit to password sharing.
Disney stock was trading at $96.89 on Thursday afternoon, up less than 1%.
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Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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