Disney+ Cancellation Rate Doubles to 8% as Kimmel Suspension Sparks Mass Exodus
Disney’sDIS magic couldn’t hide the streaming slump behind the curtain. Disney’s streaming churn doubled in September after the company briefly suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live, pushing defection rates to 8% on Disney+ and 10% on Hulu. The decision followed backlash over Kimmel’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassin, igniting a nationwide boycott that saw thousands cancel their subscriptions.
- Approximately 3M Disney+ subscribers and 4.1M Hulu users canceled during September, exceeding the three-month trailing averages for both platforms.
- NetflixNFLX maintained its industry-leading 2% churn rate for a 13th consecutive month, highlighting Disney’s unusual subscriber volatility.
Plot twist: Despite the exodus, both services attracted fresh subscribers in September — Disney+ gained 2.2M new sign-ups (up 10% month-over-month) while Hulu added 2.1M (up 5%). When Kimmel returned after less than a week off-air, his show drew over 6M viewers versus the second-quarter average of 1.8M. Whether the cancellations came from protest backlash or looming price hikes remains unclear, but subscribers made their point loudest with their wallets.