Disney+ and Hulu saw a sharp spike in cancellations in September after ABC briefly suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live!, according to new estimates from Antenna.
The analytics firm says Disney+ recorded around 3 million cancellations in the month, with its US monthly churn rate rising from roughly 4% in August to 8% in September. Hulu cancellations reached about 4.1 million, with churn up from 5% to 10%. Antenna’s figures exclude bundle subscriptions.
Coverage has linked the spike to the mid-September suspension of the late night talk show host that led to social media calls to boycott Disney’s streaming services. ABC reinstated the show on 23 September.
Despite the increase in churn, Antenna also tracked higher new sign-ups than in recent months – about 2.2 million for Disney+ and just over 2.1 million for Hulu – suggesting the impact was partly offset by gross additions. Price rises across Disney’s streaming portfolio may also have influenced behaviour during the period.
Disney most recently reported 183 million combined Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions as of its quarter ended 28 June.
