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Samantha Putterman
By Samantha Putterman April 12, 2022

There’s no evidence Disney+ lost over 350,000 subscribers in ‘five days’

If Your Time is short

  • There is no evidence that shows that over 350,000 Disney+ subscriptions were canceled "in the last five days." The figure comes from unsourced social media posts.

  • Disney does not routinely release information on subscriber numbers. The company last released statistics in its quarterly report in February 2022. The next update will be during Disney’s next quarterly earning call in May.

On March 28, the Walt Disney Corporation released a statement condemning the signing of HB 1557, criticized as Florida’s "don’t say gay" bill.

In response, some conservatives called for boycotts and told people to stop visiting Disney theme parks and cancel their Disney+ streaming subscriptions.

Within days many on social media claimed victory, stating that Disney+ had already lost over 350,000 subscribers. 

"Disney+ has had over 350,000 cancellations in the last FIVE days," one April 8 Facebook post said.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

We could find no news reports or documentation that shows 350,000 Disney+ subscriptions have been canceled. The company does not routinely report on the fluctuations of their subscribers. 

Disney declined to comment.

The company last released subscriber statistics in February 2022 in a first quarter earnings report. At the time, Disney said it had added 11.8 million Disney+ subscribers, bringing the total to 129.8 million. 

The next update on subscription figures will be during Disney’s next quarterly earnings call on May 11 and would be the only place where it would share more information.

HB 1557 prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. 

Supporters of the law hail the need for parents, and not teachers, to have control over such discussions, part of a broader push to control the content of classroom lessons. But critics warn it isn’t necessary and makes some students feel unsafe by singling out LGBTQ material as dangerous and inappropriate.

Our ruling

Facebook posts claim Disney lost over 350,000 Disney+ subscription days after conservatives called for boycotts.

There is no evidence to support this. Disney has not released any data on its subscription numbers since February and more figures will be reported after the company’s next quarterly earnings call in May.

We rate these unsupported posts False.


RELATED: ‘Don’t say gay’ vs. ‘parental rights': Fact-checking claims about Florida’s HB 1557 

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There’s no evidence Disney+ lost over 350,000 subscribers in ‘five days’

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