The short-lived suspension of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel may have had a significant impact on Disney+ subscriptions, according to new data from subscription analytics company Antenna, which tracks subscription and audience data for major streaming services.
Antenna released figures Monday showing that monthly churn rates for Disney+ and Hulu increased from 4% and 5% in August to 8% and 10% in September, respectively. The doubling of cancellation rates stood out in a streaming landscape where churn rates generally remain somewhat constant.
Disney+ churn rates have been steady at around 3-4% per month consistently this year, with Hulu churn rates hovering between 4-5% per month. Peacock saw stable churn rates in the 6-8% range, Paramount+ in the 5-7% range, and HBO Max in the 6-9% range. Netflix is king of the hill, with a consistent churn rate of just 2% per month. Disney was second, until September.
One source notes, however, that ongoing cancellations have quickly subsided, and that while people tend to be noisy when abandoning a service, they often return quietly afterward. Ratings for Kimmel’s show also skyrocketed after the move.
The antenna data also has asterisks, notes a Disney source. It’s unclear how Antenna views upgrades or downgrades as part of Disney’s wholesale business, and that the numbers appear higher than Disney’s internal data. It’s also unclear how many subscribers left because of Kimmel and how many left because of planned price hikes that were announced amid the drama.
This high churn rate came amid Kimmel’s suspension from his ABC late-night show due to a somewhat ambiguously worded on-air comment in the September 15 edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live! about Charlie Kirk’s killer, this could easily be interpreted as suggesting the suspect was a MAGA conservative — despite evidence to the contrary. The quote went viral, causing widespread backlash online.
ABC ultimately returned him to the air after less than a week, but his suspension sparked huge outrage, with many users on social media urging their followers to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions. In fact, Kimmel’s friend, influential SiriusXM host Howard Stern, said on his show that he canceled Disney+ in protest of Disney’s decision.
Antenna’s data is the first real sign that the protest may have had an impact on Disney’s bottom line, although we may never know for sure what its impact was. As THR It should be noted that due to the timing of billing cycles, protest cancellations may not be reflected in Disney’s next earnings report, and the company will stop reporting subscriber counts in the following report as part of a previously announced decision.
Nonetheless, the new data suggests that churn has doubled, which would be consistent with a loss of around three million subscribers.
