More than 1.7 million paid subscribers of Disney streaming apps including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN cancelled their memberships over a six-day period following ABC’s suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, according to a report.
The cancellations were recorded between Sept. 17-23, according to The Handbasket newsletter, which was the first to report the figures.
The 1.7 million cancellations represented a 436% increase above baseline subscriber churn, according to the report.
Scores of social media users posted screenshots of their subscription cancellations following the Sept. 17 decision by Disney to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the airwaves.
Kimmel sparked controversy two days earlier when he delivered a monologue about the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During the monologue, Kimmel said that “the Maga Gang is desperately trying to portray this individual who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of their own, and they are doing everything possible to leverage this for political advantage.”
Sinclair and Nexstar, two of the largest ABC affiliate owners, said they would refuse to air the show and the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, suggested that the agency would take action against Disney.
The Kimmel suspension sparked a backlash with Hollywood creatives, labor unions and media denouncing what they believed to be government-imposed censorship.
Last week, Disney announced that it reached an agreement to put Kimmel back on the air.
Sinclair and Nexstar initially said they would pre-empt the show, which was unavailable to a quarter of the country when it returned for the first few nights.
But the two companies announced on Friday that they would lift the blackout on the show — the likely result of Disney holding considerable leverage by dint of the affiliate agreements it struck with the firms.
Kimmel’s return to the airwaves smashed records ratings, but the numbers came down to earth in the days that followed, according to Nielsen figures.
On Thursday, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged 2.3 million total viewers — a staggering 64% drop from the 6.5 million who tuned in for Tuesday’s much-hyped return.
Kimmel shed even more viewers in the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, with Thursday’s episode hemorrhaging 73% of viewers from the critical category.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” pulled in 1.7 million viewers among the key demo for Tuesday’s return but plummeted to 465,000 only 48 hours later.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” also lost significant viewers in the younger demographic of adults aged 18-49, managing 1.2 million on Tuesday but quickly losing 73% to settle for only 334,000 on Thursday.
At around the time of Kimmel’s return, Disney said it would be raising prices across its streaming services next month.
The Disney+/Hulu bundle with ads will increase by $2, going from $11 to $13 per month. Disney+ Premium, which offers an ad-free experience, will see a $3 hike, rising from $16 to $19 per month.
The ad-supported Disney+ plan is going up by $2, from $10 to $12 monthly. Meanwhile, Hulu + Live TV with ads will face the steepest jump, climbing $7 from $83 to $90 a month.
The Post has sought comment from Disney and ABC.
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