Netflix is experiencing significant backlash after co-founder Reed Hastings publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential race. Following Hastings’ tweet of support for Harris, the streaming giant has seen a surge of cancellations from subscribers. On July 22, Hastings tweeted, “Congrats to Kamala Harris — now it is time to win.” This endorsement comes amid Hastings’ increasing engagement in Democratic politics, including his call for Biden to step aside as the leading candidate.
“Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous,” Hastings wrote in an email to The New York Times on July 3. Hastings has also emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s biggest financial backers, raising eyebrows among many Americans who see a shift in money in politics away from the Republican Party of the 20th century to the Democratic Party of the 21st century.
While Hastings’ tweet received over 1.2 million views, it appears to have sparked considerable discontent among streaming users. Following the endorsement, Netflix subscription cancellations nearly tripled, according to data from Bloomberg. Calls for a boycott of Netflix gained traction among prominent Trump supporters on social media, who urged their followers to “cancel Netflix” in response to Hastings’ political stance. The founder’s comments have placed the streaming service at the center of an ideological divide that seems to be widening in the U.S., as consumers respond to political endorsements and activism by voting with their wallets.
Bloomberg News added:
Netflix suffered a surge in cancellations in the days after its co-founder and chairman, Reed Hastings, endorsed Kamala Harris for president and donated millions to her campaign… The rate of cancellations – churn in industry parlance – nearly tripled in the US after his endorsement, according to the researcher Antenna. The streaming giant has the lowest churn in the industry.
Customers in the US canceled Netflix at a higher rate in July — 2.8% — than any month since February. That is largely due to the company’s decision to phase out its basic tier. Basic was the cheapest advertising-free version of Netflix. But the five-day period after Hastings’ endorsement was unusual, even for July.
Hastings, a longtime Democratic donor, endorsed Harris in a post on the social media platform X on July 22. A day later, Hastings told The Information that he donated $7 million to a pro-Harris super PAC. Shortly after Hastings’ endorsement, fans of Donald Trump began urging people to drop the service. Some posted photos showing they had closed their accounts alongside the hashtag #CancelNetflix. Three days later after the donation became public, July 26, was the single worst day for Netflix cancellations this year.
During the Trump administration, Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, became prominent benefactors for the Democratic Party. In recent years, they have contributed more than $20 million to support the party’s initiatives, according to The Times. This generous amount includes up to $1.5 million for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and $100,000 last summer to back Biden’s 2024 election bid. Most of their contributions have been channeled to super PACs that aid Democratic candidates in the House and Senate.
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