In what should be absolutely no surprise to anyone given (a) the state of the streaming industry and (b) that its parent company has already implemented changes with its other services, Hulu today is sending emails to subscribers that note a change in its subscriber agreement that notes a crackdown on password sharing.
The short version is this: “We’re adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household, and explaining how we may assess your compliance with these limitations.” In other words, if they don’t live with you, they shouldn’t be using your login. The changes went into effect for new subscribers as of January 25, 2024, apparently, and will take effect March 14, 2024, for existing subscribers — or as soon as you acknowledge the new terms from within the Hulu app.
The fuller version states that Hulu “may, in our sole discretion, analyze the use of your account to determine compliance with this Agreement.” And if it determines that you’re still sharing your login, it can suspend or terminate your account. It then notes, “You will be responsible for any use of your account by your household, including compliance with this section.”
Hulu — which is now solely owned by Disney — is just the latest streaming service to put a stop to the unofficial (but long-tolerated) method by which you’d let someone else “borrow” your login so they didn’t have to pay for their own account. Disney+ put a stop to password sharing in the fall of 2023. And Netflix — which at one point actually approved of the practice despite that being a really bad idea, business-wise — cracked down even further back.
There are some times when sharing accounts actually makes sense. Should a kid just sent to college have to pay full freight? (Never mind that most services have student rates.) Or what about an older relative who doesn’t do all this newfangled online stuff and just wants to watch their shows? Netflix at least gives the option of paying for an “extra member,” though those add-on accounts are more limited in features.
In any event, if you’re currently sharing someone else’s Hulu account, it’s time to get right. Or look for alternatives.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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