Disney+ and Hulu cancellations spike following ABC’s temporary removal of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
Disney+ and Hulu saw an uptick in subscription cancellations following ABC’s brief hiatus of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” as reported by Antenna data. The show was temporarily pulled off the air in September due to backlash over comments related to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. This move resulted in an increase in cancellations for both streaming platforms.
According to Antenna, Hulu experienced an estimated total of 4.1 million cancellations in September, while Disney+ saw around 3 million cancellations during the same period. The “churn rate,” which measures the percentage of subscribers canceling their service in a given month, doubled from 5% in August to 10% in September for Hulu and increased from 4% to 8% for Disney+ in the same timeframe.
Interestingly, despite the rise in cancellations, both platforms observed higher signups in September compared to the previous five months. This data comes from Antenna, a subscription analytics company, which excludes subscribers in bundle deals from its calculations.
As of the last quarter’s earnings report ending June 28, Disney reported a total of 183 million subscriptions across Disney+ and Hulu. However, Disney declined to provide any further comments on the matter.
It’s essential to note that this report is based on verified data exclusively, aiming to provide an accurate perspective on the impact of ABC’s decision to suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” during that time.
