Hulu begins password-sharing crackdown: Here's what to know

An increasing number of streaming platforms have started making sure that consumers are not giving out access to their accounts to others — and now Hulu is joining the trend.

The streaming service recently announced it will be cracking down on password sharing. 

On Wednesday, Hulu sent an email to existing subscribers notifying them of an updated subscriber agreement – one that places limitations on sharing accounts outside of the user’s household.

"Unless otherwise permitted by your Service Tier, you may not share your subscription outside of your household," Hulu wrote in the email. "‘Household’ means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein." 

TV remote control is seen with Hulu logo displayed on a screen in this illustration photo (Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

They continued: "We may, in our sole discretion, analyze the use of your account to determine compliance with this Agreement. If we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated this Agreement, we may limit or terminate access to the Service and/or take any other steps as permitted by this Agreement." 

The new policy goes into effect on March 14.

The changes to the Hulu agreement follow similar language in the Disney+ and ESPN+ subscriber agreements.

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Late last year, an email was sent to Disney+ users in Canada and informed customers that the service would begin restricting their "ability to share your account or login credentials outside of your household."

Disney updated its Subscriber Agreement in Canada to restrict the use of one account by multiple people not covered by a subscription tier.

All three user agreements (Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+) were last updated on January 25, but it is unclear when the password-sharing language was added to the agreements for Disney+ and ESPN+.

This news comes after Netflix recently reported big subscriber growth.

Netflix announced it had a record number of subscribers in its fourth-quarter earnings report.

The streaming giant noted how ad memberships increased by nearly 70% in the final quarter of 2023 – thanks in part to the phasing out of its Basic plan for new and rejoining members.

Netflix began cracking down on password sharing last May after it rolled out a plan in several countries in February to deter account holders from the behavior. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.