The password-sharing constitutes a form of piracy, according to Disney and ESPN vice president Justin Connolly, and it seems to be pretty widely accepted.
Recent years have seen cable companies providing access to consumers on a variety of devices, requiring only a password for access to content.
Market research company Parks Associates recently released a report (via Bloomberg) indicating that the cost is already high and will only get higher.
While the convenience was obviously a big plus for customers, it also enabled a lot of people to potentially get cable for free via using the passwords of folks who actually do shell out the money for a package.