Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit • Hacker News Board

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#291

Post by _DeadFred_ » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 8:22 PM UTC

eusto wrote: post #277

thrance wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You really don't have to be fair to the executives. The FCC absolutely can't do shit about Jimmy Kimmel, and would lose the procedure if it ever came to it. Instead, they immediately bent the knee and decided that loyalty to the nascent fascist regime was more important that standing up against the most clear cut and unjustifiable attack to free speech in a long time.

FCC can decide to not let the $6.2 billion Nexstar acquisition go through. Kimmel is just part of the bribe

'We find it's fine to waive the rule that limits large media company mergers in order to protect speech because this Nexstar merger will in no way impact speech in the US'. -The FCC in the coming months

Also because some people don't seem to know this, the government can't murder a man even if he was already dying of cancer.

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#292

Post by danaris » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 8:40 PM UTC

rdtsc wrote: post #284

zzrrt wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's the intentionally spreading misinformation related to a crime Looking forward to Rep. Mike Lee, Nancy Mace et al also being fired for spreading misinformation about politically-motivated killings. Also waiting for Trump’s public address denouncing political violence against MN Rep. Melissa Hortman.

Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. It's specific corner case of FCC licensing. ABC didn't have to cancel Jimmy and could have called FCC's bluff and tried to file a lawsuit based on 1st Amendment. But the PR look was pretty bad. Instead of saying "condolences for the family, etc" now they are defending Kimmel's phrasing. > Looking forward to Rep. Mike Lee also being fired for spreading misinformation about a pol…

> It's specific corner case of FCC licensing.

No, it's not.

It's fascism punishing those who don't bend the knee.

FCC licensing is only the specific excuse they're using this time.

> But the PR look was pretty bad. Instead of saying "condolences for the family, etc" now they are defending Kimmel's phrasing.

Boo fucking hoo?

It's a blatant First Amendment violation. They didn't have to "defend Kimmel's phrasing". All they had to do was say "no, it's protected political speech, and you can't do anything about it."

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#293

Post by arcticbull » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 8:41 PM UTC

leakycap wrote: post #257

arcticbull wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My comment was not about COVID.

Your comment was: > COVID years really messed some people up. You seem to think that you said something different than you did. If you don't see where your communication broke down, look closely the first word of the quote above. That's you, in case you forgot.

No, what I said was the COVID years. People became dramatically more prone to conspiracy theories and significantly more polarized in the 2020-2025 period. A lot more happened to people than just exposure to COVID, which was of course part of it. I'm not talking about the people who died or the healthcare workers. There was a meaningful step change in the way we interact with each other and what is acceptable. There was a huge impact to the social fabric and cohesion of society.

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#294

Post by zzrrt » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 8:48 PM UTC

rdtsc wrote: post #284

zzrrt wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's the intentionally spreading misinformation related to a crime Looking forward to Rep. Mike Lee, Nancy Mace et al also being fired for spreading misinformation about politically-motivated killings. Also waiting for Trump’s public address denouncing political violence against MN Rep. Melissa Hortman.

Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. It's specific corner case of FCC licensing. ABC didn't have to cancel Jimmy and could have called FCC's bluff and tried to file a lawsuit based on 1st Amendment. But the PR look was pretty bad. Instead of saying "condolences for the family, etc" now they are defending Kimmel's phrasing. > Looking forward to Rep. Mike Lee also being fired for spreading misinformation about a pol…

> ABC didn't have to cancel Jimmy and could have called FCC's bluff and tried to file a lawsuit based on 1st Amendment.

I feel like the executives have a civic duty to have resisted, at least for a few days. Caving so quickly weakened the de facto press freedoms. Maybe Kimmel would be willing to soften it or at least not dig in. New evidence was coming out daily, changing the narrative, and he could use that as an excuse. I think the PR hit of caving is worse than you give it credit. I can believe they want very valuable near-term favors from the FCC or their MAGA-aligned affiliates, more than I can believe they thought there was no better PR way out.

> Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. It's specific corner case of FCC licensing.

I'm not saying the FCC should take action against Mike Lee and Nancy Mace. I'm saying Congress should expel or censure them, if this was really about how public figures shouldn't be "spreading misinformation related to a crime" to the public, if it was about using all available legal weight to hold them accountable if they do. (If anyone's wondering, shortly after MN Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, Mike Lee tweeted an implication that the killer was "Marxist" and a pun about the governor of the state. Of course he had no evidence, and now, we know it's unlikely given that suspect is a Trump supporter. Nancy Mace made anti-trans allegations about Kirk's killer when virtually nothing was known.)

Congress won't, both because of partisan hypocrisy, and like you noted, sadly, hardly anyone cares about a state-level elected official compared to a famous podcaster.

(Admittedly their comments are very tame compared to the acts that have previously resulted in congressional expulsion. And so were Kimmel’s. But if “protecting the public” angle is all they have on Kimmel, I’m pointing out the other logical conclusions of their argument.)

It's nice to see a few, such as Ted Cruz, calling out the FCC acting like Trump's mafia.

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#295

Post by duxup » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 9:17 PM UTC

Aeolun wrote: post #10

What about what he said was so controversial? It seems entirely in line with everything else I’ve seen happen on these kinds of shows.

Honestly I think most of the actually angry people only heard "about it". It was a very mild commentary.

The commentary about what Kimmel said was disconnected from what he said, hell the demand he give money seemed more like a criminal shakedown.

I think Trump's statement about going after anyone who has anything negative to say about them, that's the real goal / point. Doesn't even have anything to do with Kirk.

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#296

Post by adrr » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 9:20 PM UTC

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #181

adrr wrote: post #88

I wonder how much money Disney is going to lose off the cancellations for all of Disney’s streaming. Let say it’s 10%, that’s $2.4b. Linear revenue which includes cable and broadcast is only $2.7b. So even if Trump pulls their broadcast license, they’ll lose more money from this boycott not including boycotts of their movies and theme parks.

It’s hard to imagine even 1% let alone 10%. Disney is too powerful a brand and when people get bored and move on to the next news cycle they will come back.

Target is still hurting from their DEI roll back. 4% drop in sales 20% drop in net income. That was more niche than an attack on our 1st amendment right.

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#297

Post by duxup » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 9:20 PM UTC

leakycap wrote: post #2

I'm sure it's an accident and not intentional! A big corporation would never, ever do something like cause a delay so people cool off and don't bother actually canceling later.

A website or service unable to handle traffic is still a thing in this day and age.

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#298

Post by danaris » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 11:13 PM UTC

thierrydamiba wrote: post #47

AndyKelley wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can be a mixture of both. It's extremely easy to Cover Your Ass while intentionally dragging your feet when a bug works in your favor. The manager simply has to decide that other tasks are higher priority.

Call it HN’s rule: Never attribute to incompetence what can be attributed to malice

Hanlon's Razor is for a situation where good faith can be assumed, or the benefit of the doubt given.

When the actors involved have shown themselves to be self-interested, bad-faith, or otherwise undeserving of the benefit of the doubt, it can be abandoned, and malice assumed where it has been clearly present before.

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#299

Post by tim333 » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 11:33 PM UTC

OutOfHere wrote: post #44

epistasis wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The FCC chair threatening your broadcast license is a pretty good "excuse". There wasn't a public outcry, it was a government outcry along with threats along multiple lines of leverage.

> The FCC chair threatening your broadcast license That's a clear violation of the First Amendment.

That goes:

>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...

It doesn't say anything about the FCC not pressuring Disney. They are not congress and are not making a law. I mean I don't agree with it but it's not clear it violates the actual text of the first amendment as written in the constitution. The spirit of it perhaps.

Re: Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit

#300

Post by epistasis » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 11:55 PM UTC

tim333 wrote: post #299

OutOfHere wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The FCC chair threatening your broadcast license That's a clear violation of the First Amendment.

That goes: >Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press... It doesn't say anything about the FCC not pressuring Disney. They are not congress and are not making a law. I mean I don't agree with it but it's not clear it violates the actual text of the first amendment as written in the constitution. The…

> law ... abridging the freedom of speech

Where does the FCC's authority to do anything come from? Congressional laws. If the FCC is using the laws to abridge free speech it is clearly an unconstitutional action.

It's so weird to see sooooooo many people trying to make up reasons to justify clearly unconstitutional behavior, with extremely motivated reasoning, or perhaps motivated lack of reason. You cited exactly what you are saying doesn't exist! This is baffling behavior.