Backlash over Jimmy Kimmel‘s ABC suspension last month reportedly caused a significant decrease in Disney+ and Hulu subscribers.
According to new numbers from Antenna — a streaming services subscriber and viewership tracking firm — the number of users cancelling their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions doubled in September, per multiple outlets. Disney+’s cancellation rate reportedly increased from 4% to 8%, while Hulu’s raised from 5% to 10%. (Per Antenna’s report, the average cancellation rate for streaming services in September was 7%.)
However, the cancellation increase also came with a subscription increase. Per Antenna’s analytics, Disney+ and Hulu reportedly gained 2.18 million and 2.11 million new subscribers, respectively, last month
A Disney source told The Hollywood Reporter that Antenna’s numbers are simply estimates, claiming their internal data shows lower numbers for the platform’s subscription cancellations. Per THR, it is also unknown whether the cancellations were a direct result of Kimmel’s suspension or due to upcoming streaming price hikes.
Last month, many fans called for a boycott of Disney’s channels and streamers in response to the company suspending Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled from the air by local ABC affiliates over on-air comments Kimmel made about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Disney/Randy Holmes
Amid the suspension, Howard Stern announced that he canceled his Disney+ subscription on the September 22 episode of his SiriusXM show. “Now it might sound stupid, but the thing I did this morning, I’m canceling my Disney+. I’m trying to say with the pocketbook that I do not support what they’re doing with Jimmy,” he said, per Deadline.
The late night show’s suspension was lifted that same day, and Kimmel made his return to the small screen on September 23. The episode drew in over 6 million viewers, becoming one of the show’s highest-rated episodes. On September 26, Sinclair and Nexstar announced they would end their preemptions on the series on ABC affiliates across the country.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! has also seen a large increase in YouTube viewership. Earlier this month, YouTube’s Head of Business Strategy and Operations, EMEA, Luca Forlin, claimed at the MIA Market in Rome that the show’s TV ratings increase “dwarfed” in comparison to its YouTube numbers.
“It was a huge moment, and he had a huge audience spike, but even that audience spike on linear paled in comparison to what YouTube gained in terms of audience,” Forlin said, per Deadline.
While Kimmel’s return episode saw over 6 million TV viewers, his opening monologue has over 22 million views on YouTube, as of Monday, October 20.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35 p.m. ET, ABC
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