Last fall, Disney faced a wave of anger after taking Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air over comments he made about responses to Charlie Kirk’s murder. Free speech supporters, including the writer of this piece, called for a boycott of the company.
Boycotts sound easy. In practice, they are not. Disney owns so much of what we watch that giving it up means giving up far more than one streamer.
What the Boycott Actually Took Away
Canceling Disney+ was simple. It also threw a wrench into the evening routine of the writer, who ends many weekdays with sitcom reruns and adult animation. The writer usually thinks of Disney as the princesses, the kid movies, and the comic heroes. But the company also runs Hulu, which streams many favorite shows for winding down, including American Dad, Futurama, Living Single, Fresh Off the Boat, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Boycotting Disney also meant giving up ABC and FX, where some of those shows first aired. A&E, History, and Lifetime were all partly owned by Disney at the time. Some video games sit under the same roof, and the writer had to miss sporting events because Disney owns all ESPN channels and streaming services.
Weekend Movies Were Out Too
Weekends often mean streaming a science-fiction or action movie picked by the writer’s partner. Because of the protests, the writer had to veto content from some favorite franchises, including Avatar, Alien, Predator, and Die Hard.
This was probably a reminder that a break from TV and time outside would help. The writer admits as much, noting that the boycott forced them to look elsewhere for entertainment.
Theme Parks Were Limited Too
Even theme parks were affected. Spending time outdoors at a Disney park would have been limited somewhat during the protests.
The writer’s point is that the boycott was not just inconvenient. It was near-impossible.
The Reach of One Company
The protest was a wake-up call about the risks of streaming mergers. When one company owns so much of what we consume, the consequences of a decision ripple out in ways few expect.
ESPN is a case in point. Disney owns all ESPN channels and streaming services, which meant the writer could not watch some sports. The boycott forced them to miss sporting events.
The writer’s evening routine, weekend movie nights, and guilty pleasures all led back to Disney. The boycott asked for sacrifice, and the sacrifice turned out to be total.
The Takeaway From This
The writer’s experience points to a larger problem. Streaming mergers have created companies so large that stepping away from them is almost impossible.
The protest showed that when one company controls so much of what we watch, a simple refusal to pay becomes a refusal to watch almost anything enjoyable. That the entertainment industry’s consolidation has reached a point where a single refusal is almost impossible to carry out.
Key facts box:
– Protest centered on Disney taking Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air
– Hulu streamed American Dad, Futurama, Living Single, Fresh Off the Boat, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
– Disney sold its stake in A&E, History, and Lifetime to Hearst
– Disney owns ABC and all ESPN channels and streaming services
Shows on Hulu:
– American Dad
– Futurama
– Living Single
– Fresh Off the Boat
– It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The protest was a wake-up call about the risks of streaming mergers. It exposed just how much the entertainment industry has merged, and how little room for choice that leaves us with.
See the video the story is built around at Ars Technica.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.