Disney+ Subscriber Cancellations Rose Following Jimmy Kimmel Suspension, Data Shows
los Angeles – Subscriber cancellations at Disney+ spiked in September following the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from his ABC late-night show, according to data released by analytics firm Antenna. The data indicates a important increase in churn-the rate at which subscribers cancel their subscriptions-though the full impact remains arduous to quantify.
The surge in cancellations occurred after Kimmel was temporarily taken off the air on September 15 due to a comment made on Jimmy Kimmel Live! regarding the suspect in an incident involving Charlie Kirk,which some interpreted as suggesting the suspect was a conservative. The comment sparked online backlash and calls for boycotts of Disney+ across social media.
AntennaS data shows Disney+ churn doubled in the immediate aftermath of the suspension, perhaps correlating to a loss of approximately three million subscribers. prior to the controversy, Disney+ boasted a remarkably low churn rate of just 2 percent per month, surpassing competitors like Netflix. Disney had previously held the second-lowest churn rate, but was overtaken following the incident.
While the initial wave of cancellation requests subsided quickly, analysts note that individuals often return to services after initially dropping them. Ratings for Jimmy Kimmel Live! have reportedly increased as Kimmel’s return.
Though,a Disney source cautioned that Antenna’s methodology may not fully account for upgrades or downgrades within Disney’s bundled subscription offerings,and that the reported numbers are higher than Disney’s internal data. The source also pointed out that the increase in churn might potentially be attributable to previously announced price hikes, coinciding with the Kimmel controversy.
Several high-profile figures publicly protested the suspension, including Howard Stern, who announced on his SiriusXM show that he had canceled his Disney+ subscription.
Disney will no longer publicly report subscriber numbers following its next earnings report, making it difficult to track the long-term effects of the controversy. While the Antenna data provides the first concrete indication of a potential impact on Disney’s bottom line, the precise extent of that impact remains uncertain due to billing cycles and the company’s decision to discontinue subscriber reporting.
