Hulu to Run Political Ads About Abortion and Gun Laws
By Movieguide® Staff
After backlash from Democrats, The Walt Disney Co. said that it would now accept political ads that address abortion and guns on Hulu.
According to Deadline, executive directors of the Democratic Governors Association, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for its policy on political ads.
Disney, the parent company of the ad-supported streaming service Hulu, initially said that they would reject ad spots if the ad contains “content that takes a position on a controversial issue of public importance.”
However, as of Wednesday, Disney reversed its decision.
The Company stated: “After a thorough review of ad policies across its linear networks and streaming platforms over the last few months, Disney is now aligning Hulu’s political advertising policies to be consistent with the Company’s general entertainment and sports cable networks and ESPN+. Hulu will now accept candidate and issue advertisements covering a wide spectrum of policy positions, but reserves the right to request edits or alternative creative, in alignment with industry standards.”
Hulu’s decision could set the precedent for other ad-supported platforms as Netflix and Disney+ work on unique versions of the system.
Movieguide® previously reported:
As Disney pursues an ad-supported option for its streaming service Disney+, the company set some ground rules of what commercials would be appropriate.
Ad-supported platforms like Amazon’s Freevee, previously IMDb TV is likely to become a mainstream option for prominent streamers to attract more subscribers.
Instead of the monthly price of $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year, users will have access to Disney+’s massive catalog for free.
According to Variety, media buyers reported that Disney plans to protect younger viewers by establishing firm boundaries for what ads are shown on their traditionally family-friendly platform.
As far as streamers go, Disney dominated the children’s programming space and initially veered away from rated-R content to assure parents of their children’s safety and therefore hold on to younger viewers.
While Disney’s caution for children’s safety regarding ad-supported options is commendable, one must ask why their content is not held to the same standards.
After the uproar over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Disney vowed to include more LGBTQ+ storylines and characters in their movies and TV shows.
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