WWE Network Cracking Down On Account Sharing

Many fans with WWE Network accounts are now reporting errors when attempting to log on from multiple devices. Such users are being met with a message reading "stream limit exceeded."

It's a common practice with streaming services for customers to share passwords and account information with friends and family, allowing multiple people with multiple devices to access on-demand content by using an app. Though the trend inevitably costs the services money, most of them have not attempted to fight it.

In January of 2014, HBO CEO Richard Plepler said that password sharing for the network's HBO GO streaming service was "not a fundamental problem" and "a terrific marketing vehicle." This past January, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings agreed, calling password sharing "a positive thing" and noted that many people who share accounts end up becoming subscribers themselves.

It's no secret that WWE wants to do whatever it can to gain network subscriptions. The subscriber numbers for the WWE Network upon the first announcement in April of 2014 totaled 667,000, falling short of the 1,000,000 the company had predicted and taking a devastating toll on WWE's stock. Still, expansion into new markets and promotions (including this month's #FreeWrestleMania) have bolstered numbers over the past two years, with the most recent estimates indicating 1.82 million subscribers with network access.