Disney is known for playing it safe on both sides of the aisle. The company is once again in the political crosshairs and this time it's the Democrats who are angry.
Disney is in the middle of a controversy over its advertising policy. One of the few paid streaming services that currently runs ads is blocking ads that cover some of the party's core issues
Over the past two weekends, multiple outlets have reported that campaign ads from Democratic candidates have been turned down because of what the service deems to be "sensitive content" about climate change, guns, and abortion rights. Disney is the majority owner of the service.
According to The Washington Post, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Democratic Governors Association attempted to purchase ads on abortion and guns on the internet. The Democratic groups ran the same ads on a number of internet platforms. There were only a few platforms that did not run the ads.
After having multiple calls canceled, the Democratic groups received an email from the streamer saying that the ads would be accepted, but only for them to contact them again.
In a joint statement, the three Democratic groups said, "Hulu's censorship of the truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country" Voters have the right to know the facts about the GOP agenda on issues like abortion, and Hulu is doing a disservice to the American people by denying these issues from even being discussed.
In the past, a Democratic congressional candidate in New York has shared his frustration with trying to run ads on a streaming service. There was an "unwritten" policy about "sensitive" topics contained in his ads, which led to a call to his campaign from Hulu. Climate change and the pro-Trump riots were topics discussed.
After his campaign changed the words "climate change" to "democracy", his ads started running. The footage from January 6 was removed from the advertisement. The company hasn't responded to the letter yet.
The rules are bad for Democrats. The platforms with the largest customer-base are those that offer streaming services. The bases of the Democratic Party are made up of those age groups, which makes them prime targets for paid political ad campaigns.
One of the only major streaming service platforms to have ads on its shows is the Hulu platform. Ad-supported streaming is increasing. Although the company has not specified any policies regarding ad content, it did announce a cheaper plan that would include ads.
According to The Washington Post, ads are coming to Disney+, but the company has already stated that it won't allow political advertising on that service.
Disney was involved in a political fight in March. Disney employees pressured the company to speak out against the "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida. After initially saying Disney wouldn't get involved, the CEO relented and publicly condemned the bill. The governor of Florida hit back at Disney by removing the company's tax status in the state. Disney has stopped plans to move 2,000 high paying jobs from California to Florida.
Disney and its ad policies may be designed to keep the company out of the political discourse, but in 2022, amid Republican assaults on the LGBTQ community, equality, gun control, women's rights, and the environment, that's proved to be impossible.
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