As it turns out, whenever a statement wants to be made by a mass audience through a boycott, the effects can be palpable. Following statements about the killing of Charlie Kirk, late night show host and frequent Academy Awards host Jimmy Kimmel was promptly taken off the air, with the show given a brief hiatus. Even after the show was confirmed to be brought back, there were still media companies like Nexstar and Sinclair, who run affiliate stations, whose chairperson made comments that suggested that they would still replace the show with regular programming due to the nature of Kimmel’s remarks. Still, consumers similarly spoke out in their own way, which is evident by recent churn data for the Walt Disney-affiliated subscription services. Based on new data from research firm and experts on the “Subscription Economy,” Antenna, the monthly churn rates (the percentage rate at which customers stop subscribing to a service) for Disney+ and Hulu doubled, with the former jumping from 4% in August to 8% in September, and the latter from 5% to 10%. The data more than likely partly represent the scale at which the boycott of the streaming services took effect, as some viewers were unhappy with how the suspension of Kimmel was handled, as well as the reasons for the brief hiatus of the late-night show. There is no direct confirmation that the increase in the churn rate is directly correlated to the issues involving Kimmel, though it’s hard not to notice that the data was collected during the month in which the controversy first happened. Moreover, there was plenty of vocal support for Kimmel online and on social media, with many calling to boycott the streaming services as an act of solidarity. Still, there is also the recent price increase for the various plans that could also be attributed to some of the cancellations as well.
The Disney+ and Hulu Churn Rates Tell an Interesting Story

ABC

It’s also important to note that an insider from Antenna has since confirmed that Disney saw subscribers for both Disney+ and Hulu reinstate their plans for various services at the same time that Kimmel’s ratings surged following his return. Disney hasn’t publicly revealed any specific numbers or information about how many subscribers were lost because of Kimmel’s suspension, so Antenna’s information is the best that consumers can use to gauge just how effective a boycott might have possibly been, especially when taking the price hike that was already pre-planned into account. Ultimately, the situation surrounding Kimmel’s brief removal and the ensuing response online and very vocal boycott underscores how politics, entertainment, and public sentiment can converge in interesting ways. Whether the boycott played a role in the churn rates or not, it was an effective display of the viewer making a statement with their wallets. The attempt to influence the decisions of giant media corporations may not have necessarily been in vain, especially since Kimmel is now back on the air. The whole controversy is a fascinating showcase of how public opinion and outrage can shape the media landscape.

Release Date

January 26, 2003

Network

ABC

Writers

Joel Hodgson, Sal Iacono, Tony Barbieri, Eric Immerman, Jonathan Bines, Rick Rosner, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Jeff Loveness, Josh Halloway, Bess Kalb