Saving: Sharing your streaming password - is it legal?

Do you stream movies or TV shows? Most likely you do or know someone who does.

A lot of people do it to save money, and some try to save even more by using other people's passwords.

Consumer Reports surveyed folks about video streaming services like Netflix or Hulu Plus.

The survey found 46-percent of those asked do share their passwords with friends or relatives who don't live with them.

Type in your password and get access to countless video streams on a service you pay for, like Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video, HBO Go, or Watch ESPN.

Seems just as easy to give your log-in to someone else.

But is sharing your password illegal? Many of the terms of agreement seem ambiguous and companies don't seem to be cracking down.

Glenn Derene from Consumer Reports says, "Their business models, however, are evolving. And next year things could be different. But for the time being, they're interested in creating streaming media addicts."

While it technically may be OK to hand out your password, you could get a nasty surprise like the Maranos did when the show they wanted to watch got blocked unexpectedly.

Barbara Marano tells us, "They said Netflix is not connecting. So my husband said, 'See if the girls are on. See what's going on.' That should have been OK, except my daughter said, 'Oh, I bet so-and-so is watching.' I'm like, 'How would so-and-so be watching?' She said, 'I gave her my password.'"

Netflix, like several others, limits simultaneous viewing. Each subscription plan is different.

-Netflix is one to four, depending on your plan.

-Amazon Prime - two at a time.

-HBO Go allows three.

-Hulu Plus - only one.

-Watch ESP-N, unlike the others, does not state any limits.

So if you don't want to interrupt your own viewing pleasure, those limits should make you think twice before you give out your password.

As companies like HBO and Dish Network begin to offer more online-only content, Consumer Reports says they may get more protective of the revenue they get from streaming and a bit more interested in exactly who's watching.

Consumer Reports reached out to all of the companies cited in this report. Cliff Edwards, a Netflix spokesman, said that a crackdown is "honestly not even a conversation in the company right now."

A statement from HBO Go said, "The HBO Go service is meant to be used by the members of a household with an HBO subscription. We do not encourage password sharing outside of that household, and we limit viewing to three concurrent streams."

A representative from ESPN said, "I cannot share the exact limit number (of simultaneous streams), but it is enough to allow each household to enjoy the benefits of access across multiple devices."

Consumer Reports also reached out to Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime, but they did not respond. We based our information on their Terms of Agreement.