Disney+ and Hulu Cancellations Increased After ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ was Temporarily Pulled

Disney+ and Hulu subscription cancellations saw an uptick recently when ABC briefly pulled the plug on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” According to data from subscription analytics company Antenna, there was a noticeable increase in cancellations during this time. It’s worth noting that Walt Disney Co. owns both the streaming platforms and ABC, which adds an interesting layer to this story.

In September, Hulu had an estimated 4.1 million cancellations, while Disney+ had 3 million cancellations. The “churn rate,” which measures the percentage of customers who cancel their subscriptions in a specific month, spiked from 5% in August to 10% for Hulu and from 4% to 8% for Disney+ in September.

Despite this increase in cancellations, September also saw a rise in signups for both Hulu and Disney+ compared to the previous five months. This suggests that while some users may have canceled their subscriptions, there were also new users joining the platforms.

Antenna, a subscription analytics company tracking U.S. consumer data, provided these insights. It’s important to note that the data does not include subscribers who are part of bundle deals.

As of the most recent earnings report for Disney, which ended on June 28, there were a total of 183 million Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions. Disney chose not to comment on this recent trend.

It’s fascinating to see how even a brief interruption in a popular show like “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” can have rippling effects across streaming platforms. The interconnected nature of media ownership adds an extra layer of complexity to how viewers engage with content.