Netflix Cancelations Spiked After CEO Reed Hastings Pledged Millions to Kamala Harris
Mike Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times
Netflix cancelations have reportedly spiked after the streaming platform’s CEO Reed Hastings announced he’d donate millions to Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign.
Netflix’s rate of cancelations nearly tripled in the United States after supporters of former President Donald Trump called for action against the streaming giant following its CEO’s donation to Harris, according to a report by Bloomberg.
While U.S. consumers were already canceling their Netflix subscriptions at a higher rate than usual in July — in large part due to the company’s decision to phase out its cheapest, advertising-free tier — the five-day period after Hastings endorsed Harris saw “unusual” numbers of cancelation, “even for July,” the outlet noted.
On July 23, the Netflix CEO endorsed Harris in an X post, writing, “Congrats to Kamala Harris — now it is time to win.”
Hastings’ congratulatory remark was in reference to President Joe Biden having recently ended his reelection campaign — after being ousted by his own Party — making Harris the soon-to-be Democrat Party nominee.
After issuing his congratulatory X post, Hastings told The Information that he donated $7 million to a pro-Harris super PAC. After that, Trump supporters began calling on customers to end their subscriptions alongside the hashtag #CancelNetflix.
Then, on July 26 — three days after Hastings’ donation to the pro-Harris super PAC became public — Netflix experienced the single worst day of cancellations this year, Bloomberg noted.
This is not the first time Netflix was hit with a wave of cancelations as a result of the streaming service’s behavior.
In 2020, the streaming giant’s cancelations surged in reaction to the film, Cuties, which generated a firestorm over its highly sexualized depiction of underage girls.
In recent years, conservatives have found that boycotts can actually work.
Last summer, sales of Bud Light beer tanked after transgender influencer and biological male Dylan Mulvaney was featured in a cringeworthy and patronizing March Madness advertisement.
Moreover, Americans suffering due to inflation under the Biden-Harris administration don’t appear to be influenced by celebrities and others in the entertainment industry with regards to politics or the upcoming presidential election — and are willing to put their money where their mouths are in order to make that known.
As Breitbart News reported, pop star Taylor Swift’s popularity has dropped overall among voters following her endorsement of Harris this month.
“Taylor Swift is a billionaire. She’s not at the grocery store having to decide whether to feed her family or pay her mortgage. While she’s flying her private jets, you’re struggling to gas up you car & get to work. It’s no surprise she’s ‘ok’ with 4 more years of this,” one social media user wrote in an X post, which garnered 121,000 likes.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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