Netflix saw a spike in cancellations after co-founder endorsed Kamala Harris

Karah Rucker

WE’RE LEARNING NEW DETAILS ABOUT WHAT LED TO A SURGE OF NETFLIX CANCELLATIONS OVER THE SUMMER.

MUCH OF IT MAY HAVE BEEN DRIVEN BY SUPPORTERS OF DONALD TRUMP FOLLOWING A POLITICAL ENDORSEMENT BY THE STREAMING-SERVICES CO-FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN.

REED HASTINGS PUBLICLY BACKED VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS AND ALSO REVEALED THAT HE DONATED A STAGGERING 7-MILLION-DOLLARS TO THE HARRIS’ CAMPAIGN.

HIS ENDORSEMENT AND DONATION SPARKED AN IMMEDIATE BACKLASH.

THE HASHTAG #CANCELNETFLIX BEGAN TRENDING ON X, WITH MANY USERS SHARING SCREENSHOTS OF THEIR CANCELING ACCOUNTS.

JULY 26TH, NETFLIX HAD SEEN ITS SHARPEST SPIKE IN CANCELLATIONS THIS YEAR.

ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG, THE PLATFORM’S RATE OF CANCELLATIONS JUMPED TO  TWO-POINT-EIGHT-PERCENT IN JULY, THE HIGHEST SEEN SINCE IT PHASED OUT ITS CHEAPEST, BASIC SUBSCRIPTION TIER LAST YEAR. 

THOUGH NETFLIX TYPICALLY BOASTS ONE OF THE LOWEST CANCELLATION RATES IN THE STREAMING INDUSTRY, THE IMPACT OF HASTINGS’ ENDORSEMENT SEEMS TO HAVE RESONATED DEEPLY WITH SOME SUBSCRIBERS. 

THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY HAS BEEN NO STRANGER TO BACKLASH OVER POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT.

DISNEY SPENT THE LAST TWO YEARS IN A PUBLIC BATTLE WITH FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS AFTER THE COMPANY SPOKE OUT AGAINST A STATE LAW RESTRICTING CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY.

MOST RECENTLY, DISNEY FACED SCRUTINY OVER THE CLOSE TIES BETWEEN KAMALA HARRIS AND ITS ENTERTAINMENT CO-CHAIR, DANA WALDEN.

FOR TRUMP SUPPORTERS HOPING TO MAKE A STATEMENT, HASTINGS HAS LONG BEEN A VOCAL DEMOCRATIC DONOR–HE SUPPORTED HILLARY CLINTON IN 2016 AND CONTRIBUTED MILLIONS TO CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM’S RECALL DEFENSE IN 2021.

WITH NETFLIX’S NEXT FINANCIAL RESULTS SET TO BE RELEASED IN OCTOBER, THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF THESE CANCELLATIONS ON REVENUE IS STILL UNCLEAR. 

WE’LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS STORY AND ITS POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON THE STREAMING GIANT

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW, I’M KARAH RUCKER