Politics
Woke Disney Gets Humiliated After Company’s Latest Disaster
Disney has found itself at the center of controversy and financial setback as its streaming service, Disney+, reports a significant loss of over 1.3 million subscribers in the final quarter of 2023. This loss has sparked widespread mockery on social media, with many attributing the decline to the company’s “woke” policies.
The entertainment giant, already grappling with various challenges including a lawsuit from former Mandalorian star Gina Carano, a legal battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, potential layoffs at Pixar, and boycott calls over disputes with X (formerly Twitter), has seen its subscriber numbers plummet from 112.6 million to 111.3 million globally.
The decline comes despite a price hike and an increase in revenue during the same period, suggesting that higher prices have not deterred a significant number of subscribers.
Disney+ lost 1.3M subscribers in Q1 2024 after increasing prices 📉 pic.twitter.com/7rVdPhI31M
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) February 7, 2024
Critics on social media have been quick to link Disney+’s subscriber loss to the company’s embrace of “wokeness,” a term that has grown in popularity in recent years as being “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues, especially issues of racial and social justice.”
Comments such as “Go woke, go broke” have flooded social media platforms, indicating a backlash against the company’s political and social stances.
Despite the subscriber loss, Disney+ managed to narrow its streaming business losses by $300 million during the October-December period, according to Variety. The service’s core subscribers, excluding the India-based Disney+ Hotstar, dropped to 111.3 million from 112.6 million reported in the previous quarter.
However, Disney+ Hotstar added 700,000 subscribers, marking its first growth since a mass exodus of 12.5 million subscribers last year due to a strategy shift and the loss of key sports rights.
Disney’s financials reveal a mixed picture, with the company reporting $500 million in cost savings for the quarter and projecting an addition of between 5.5 million and 6 million subscribers to Disney+ Core by the end of its current quarter. The company remains optimistic about reaching profitability in its streaming business by the end of its current fiscal year.
The subscriber loss and ensuing public relations debacle come at a time when Disney is also facing an ongoing proxy fight with activist investor Nelson Peltz and efforts to revamp its corporate governance and long-term strategy.
REACTIONS:
Go woke go broke!
Get @dailywireplus instead
— SGT_Martin705 (@SGT_Martin705) February 8, 2024
Going to be fun watching Disney go bankrupt after putting out this woke 🗑️ https://t.co/usczQbTmNa
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) February 7, 2024
I guess Disney still hasn’t figured out, Get Woke, Go Broke. pic.twitter.com/CxSqWtsdRY
— Mork Rock (@MorkRock) February 7, 2024
Disney has lost over half of its value since going woke in 2021.
Disney is sucking itself out of business. pic.twitter.com/N3McLsPVgD
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) February 7, 2024
Disney still hasn't learnt its lesson yet
Is it that time to boycott @Kleenex ?
Go Woke, Go Broke ‼️‼️‼️#boycottkleenex pic.twitter.com/1LQxEd7WUG
— Laina Media (@media_laina) February 4, 2024