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Disney+ Cancellations Jump After Kimmel Suspension
Disney+ and Hulu customers canceled their subscriptions in droves last month, according to independent data released on Monday, an apparent reaction to Disney’s temporarily pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air.
About three million Americans canceled Disney+ in September, up from a three-month average of 1.2 million, according to Antenna, a subscription research firm. Disney-owned Hulu had roughly 4.1 million cancellations in the United States, up from 1.9 million.
The numbers offered the first glimpse at the economic fallout for Disney from the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” dispute. The company pulled Mr. Kimmel’s show on Sept. 17 after growing criticism, including by a top federal regulator, over comments Mr. Kimmel made during his show about the man accused of fatally shooting the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The show’s suspension set off a national debate about free speech and the Trump administration’s attacks on the media.
People who were angry about Disney’s action began calling for a boycott of the company’s products, in particular its streaming services. “Cancel your @disneyplus @hulu @espn subscriptions!” Tatiana Maslany, who starred in the Disney+ show “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” posted on her Instagram account.
Churn, the entertainment industry’s dreaded term for the percentage of subscribers who cancel monthly, spiked to 8 percent for Disney+ and 10 percent for Hulu. (To compare, Netflix’s churn stayed the same for a 13th month at 2 percent. The churn rate is calculated by dividing the number of cancellations in a given month by subscribers at the end of the prior month.)
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In August, Disney said it had about 184 million subscriptions across Disney+ and Hulu.
The Antenna report was not entirely negative for Disney. Cancellations were offset by a healthy number of new subscriptions. About 2.2 million people in the United States subscribed to Disney+ in September through either a paid plan or a free trial, a 10 percent increase from a month earlier. Hulu had about 2.1 million new subscribers, a 5 percent increase.
The sign-ups could have been a result of blowback to the blowback — people who agreed with Disney’s decision to suspend Mr. Kimmel and were supporting the company with their wallets. Or they could have resulted from Disney’s intensifying effort to attract customers with its discounted “bundle” of services that include Disney+, Hulu and a new ESPN streaming app. Notably, ESPN began streaming its full lineup of National Football League games in September.
A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment.
Factors beyond the Kimmel crisis may have resulted in higher Disney+ and Hulu defections. On the same day that the suspension for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ended, Disney pushed forward with a previously planned decision to increase subscription prices for a fourth consecutive year. Like many of its competitors, Disney has been under pressure from shareholders to bolster streaming profit.
The price increases go into effect on Tuesday and vary depending on the plan. The stand-alone Disney+ ad-supported plan, for instance, will cost $12 per month, $2 more than before, while the premium no-ads plan will be $19 per month, up $3.
In an email notifying subscribers of the price jumps, Disney said it would allow for more original shows, among other benefits.
However, it was clear that the cancellations were mostly about Mr. Kimmel. In 2024, Disney announced price increases in August and activated them in October. Churn increased over those months but minimally, according to data by Antenna.
