Netflix cancellations almost tripled after co-founder Reed Hastings donated $7 million to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
As Indie Wire reports, from July 25 through July 29, Netflix’s average daily cancels increased by 2.7x compared to the prior two weeks, the streaming-measurement company found.
Hastings was a longtime Democratic donor prior to his hefty donation. During the 2016 Clinton presidential campaign, Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, raised over $100,000 on behalf of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
On July 22 Hastings endorsed Harris in a post on the social media platform X. 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.
Despite the cancellations, Netflix’s 277 million subscribers makes it by far the biggest of the streamers.
In the past, Netflix has tried to distance itself from Hastings’ political activities. It is wary of offending subscribers who might have views that differ from his left-leaning views.
Confirmation on if the spike in cancelled accounts caused Netflix any long term pain, is still in question. The company reports financial results in mid-October.