Overview
- Subscription analytics firm Antenna reported churn rose from 4% to 8% for Disney+ and from 5% to 10% for Hulu in September, estimating roughly 3 million and 4.1 million U.S. cancellations respectively.
- The spike coincided with ABC’s Sept. 17–23 suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and pre‑emptions by Nexstar and Sinclair that led to boycott calls.
- Antenna also estimated notable sign‑ups in September—about 2.18 million for Disney+ and 2.11 million for Hulu—which partially offset cancellations.
- Causal links remain unclear because Antenna excludes wholesale distribution such as Charter, billing cycles and Disney’s price increases complicate comparisons, and churn rose across several streamers.
- Disney will stop reporting subscriber counts for ESPN+ starting this quarter and for Disney+ and Hulu next fiscal quarter, limiting future visibility; the Nov. 13 results may not fully reflect September activity.