Jimmy Kimmel defends free speech with return to emotional air
Jimmy Kimmel is a strong advocate of free speech and tearfully says he does not want to make light of Charlie Kirk’s murder.
New data on Disney+ and Hulu subscription cancellations reveals the business impact of the parent company’s controversial decision to shut down “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Almost a week.
Cancellations for both broadcasters spiked in September, when ABC took over Kimmel’s late-night show, according to a report released Oct. 20 by measurement and analytics company Antenna.
Disney+’s so-called churn rate for the month was 8%, up from 3% to 5% over the past year. The churn rate in August was 4%. Hulu, which has had a churn rate in the 4-6% range over the past year, saw a 10% drop in subscribers compared to 5% in the previous month.
Monthly cancellations are calculated by dividing the number of subscription cancellations by the total number of subscriptions for the previous month.
However, these numbers don’t tell the whole story. Antenna’s report also revealed an increase in the number of new subscribers compared to recent months.
Disney+, which launched in September, added about 2.2 million new subscribers, up 10% from August, while Hulu gained 2.1 million new subscribers, up 6.6% from August. This was the largest increase for both services since March.
USA TODAY has reached out to a Disney representative for comment.
Several factors may have affected cancellation and signup rates.
When Kimmel returned to the air on September 23, Disney+ and Hulu subscribers were notified that prices on most plans would increase the following month. Additionally, the NFL regular season began in September, and Disney-owned ESPN streamed the entire lineup of games, which will likely draw in new viewers.
Calls to boycott Disney grow after ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel
On September 17, Disney-owned ABC announced “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The show will be taken off the air “indefinitely” after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr harshly criticized Kimmel’s Sept. 15 monologue about the MAGA gang’s response to Charlie Kirk’s murder.
In response to Kerr’s comments, Nexstar Media Group announced it would no longer broadcast the program on 32 of its ABC affiliates, and Sinclair Broadcasting Group echoed the move on its own affiliates.
There was an immediate backlash, with social media users calling for a boycott of Disney’s streaming service. Many in the entertainment industry argued that Kimmel’s suspension was a capitulation to the government’s attempts to censor free speech.
Kimmel later slammed critics’ reactions to his September 15 monologue, saying the reactions to his comments were “intentional, and I don’t think they were characterized as malicious.” Back on air, the comedian appeared contrite over his comments about Kirk’s death, saying he “never meant to make light of” the incident.
