Hulu Boycott In Effect Due To Ban On Controversial Political Ads
Hulu might be finding itself in the same position as Netflix, as the streaming platform is in trouble for its stance on banning controversial politcal ads.
It appears that Netflix is not the only streaming platform that has found itself in trouble. Hulu is apparently the subject of a new boycott campaign after the platform has refused to run ads that contain information about gun control and abortion rights. The streaming giant has always remained neutral in this regard, though staying silent will cause more trouble for the company. This trouble could be heightened simply because Disney now owns Hulu. CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek, found himself in trouble for staying silent on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which passed in Florida earlier this year.
Hulu has had a stance on running ads of any political nature, as they are deemed “too sensitive.” However, the Communications Act of 1934 indicates that TV networks must run ads of a political nature for both parties without any censorship. The streaming platform could be getting away with not abiding by these rules, as no streaming services were made available when this rule was enforced on TV networks. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Governors Association are all coming after the platform, as it looks to be like the ads being banned are coming from the left-leaning side of the spectrum.
A representative from Hulu had apparently discussed this matter with the Democratic candidate for Congress, Suraj Patel. Patel stated he was told that ads speaking about “abortion, guns, climate change, and the Jan. 6, 2021 attack” are “too sensitive.” That is certainly an odd stance to take for viewers that are constantly watching television that contains those types of ads anyway. Hulu can’t assume that people are only watching that platform and not taking in other mediums of entertainment. What makes this stance a bit more controversial, is that it has been reported that the streaming platform ran a pro-Trump ad about the deep state in 2020. If that is true, this is not a good look for the media company.
Hulu claims to look at political ads and judge them on a “case by case basis.” However, if one political party is favored over the other, there are going to be problems. Now the Democratic side of things is coming at the streaming platform with allegations of censorship. Going back to Hulu is owned by Disney. One thing the House of Mouse should have learned from the drama in Florida is that companies should not be staying silent on these matters. The blowback for taking the silent course is always going to come back in the form of more drama. It is better to just run ads from both sides of the spectrum and be done with it.
We are not sure how much this boycott Hulu campaign is going to damage the company, but something should be done soon, otherwise, the streaming platform might end up in the same position as Netflix. Netflix is currently dropping its share price by a large margin, and things could get worse for the company soon. Hulu might be in a bit of trouble if the headlines are always containing some sort of drama for the streaming platform.
