Yes, people are still talking about Jimmy Kimmel. Now, a research firm has stated that Disney saw double the cancellations of Disney+ and Hulu in September, and Variety is seemingly attributing it to Jimmy Kimmel.
For those that don’t know, Jimmy Kimmel’s show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was temporarily suspended by Disney after Kimmel made questionable comments about Charlie Kirk’s assasin. His suspension came after two ABC affiliates, Sinclair and Nexstar, threatened to preempt his show until apologies were made. The suspension was short-lived. Kimmel came back, and his ratings have already returned to the lower numbers he had before this incident.
During the suspension, Hollywood, the media, and social media demanded a boycott of Disney-owned Disney+ and Hulu until Kimmel was reinstated. This happened in September.
How well did the “boycott succeed?”
Now, according to research firm Antenna, the domestic cancellation rate for Disney+ ended up being 8%, which was twice what the estimate was for July and August at 4%. Hulu also saw a doubling of its cancellation rate for September, reaching 10%. July and August only hit about 5%.
Antenna also indicated that the average cancellation rate across nine streaming services, including “Apple TV+, Discovery+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, Starz” was 7%.
Disney also made the announcement about streaming service price hikes in September, which is also a likely driver of cancellations.
It is important to note that Antenna just had raw data and did not have the reasons for the cancellations. We do not know why people canceled or subscribed.
Disney+ and Hulu also had higher-than-normal sign-ups for September.
Antenna also noted that Disney+ and Hulu saw higher-than-normal sign-ups for September when compared to July and August.
In September, Disney+ had 2.18 million new subscribers, up from 1.99 million in August and 1.65 million in July. Hulu saw an uptick to 2.11 million new subscribers in September, up from 1.97 million in August and 1.73 million in July.
Averages from September 2024 to September 2025 for sign-ups were about 1.99 million new subscribers per month for Disney+ and 2.25 million new subscribers per month for Hulu. Making September above average for both services.
It is unclear if the number of new subscribers was actually inflated due to those who unsubscribed, resubscribing after the boycott was over, or if they are attributed to other factors.
What does all this mean?
It simply means that Disney saw twice the cancellations for Hulu and Disney+ when compared to July and August. The data also indicates that slightly more people subscribed than in those same months.
We can only guess as to why September saw this consumer shift. The media wants to say it’s Jimmy Kimmel. It could be.
It could also be the announced price increases. Another possibility is a wholesale distribution deal like we’ve seen with providers or companies giving away “free Disney+” with sign-up. Antenna can not track that information, but it could also explain a bump in subscribers.
But this is just data from one research firm. Disney hasn’t confirmed the information.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
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