Do you like Netflix? If so, you’re probably a liberal. Or, at least, this is what a dedicated group of Twitter users seem to believe, all of whom have taken to the social platform with the hashtag “#BoycottNetflix” to take a stand against what they believe to be a liberal bias in Netflix’s content offerings.
The outcry appears to be a response to last month’s announcement that Netflix was entering an exclusive multi-year deal with Barack and Michelle Obama. Another point of contention a new program with comedian Michelle Wolf, who famously raised the hackles of conservatives at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April.
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Now, some people on the right say that they are cancelling their Netflix subscriptions in protest — which, in turn, seems to indicate that the streaming platform is becoming a place loved by liberals and loathed by conservatives.
#BoycottNetflix We cancelled our subscription over this Obama-Netflix business.
— johannes rexx (@johannesrexx) May 25, 2018
#BoycottNetflix
— znoph (@znoph) May 29, 2018
I just left Netflix after 15+ years I get enough libral propaganda from the news I don't want to have to pay for it also.
Cancelled @netflix because of the "obama" deal. Not wasting my hard earned $$ on that community organizer. #BoycottNetflix #ObamaGateSpyScandal
— Andrea Bowles (@mehess_andrea) May 27, 2018
#boycottnetflix
— Rob Phillips (@swaflip) May 30, 2018
Canceled our family subscription yesterday. They also have a series featuring Michelle Wolfe (ala WHCD fame). Apolitical, right....
Let's be clear, Netflix is forcing Conservatives to either deal with Obama again OR DROP NETFLIX.
— Ken Parsons (@mr_e_guy) May 29, 2018
I vote: Drop Netflix#BoycottNetflix #boycottnetlix
But, of course, angry social media users don’t always represent the real numbers on any given subject. According to new data from YouGov, Netflix has dropped in favor among Republicans and risen among Democrats, with the favorability rating dropping 16% for the former and rising 15% for the latter. But, according to YouGov, Netflix is still viewed favorably as a whole among Democrats and Republicans alike.
And, as pointed out by Variety, Netflix is a worldwide streaming service, and the Obamas happen to have excellent worldwide approval ratings — when Barack Obama left office, he had a 76% approval rating from 24 countries, according to data compiled by Ipsos. This is a stark contrast from Trump’s numbers from the same data when he entered office — 66% of people surveyed thought that he would be a bad president.
At the end of the day, the decision to enter into a contract with the Obamas was likely little more than a business decision.
Still, for what it’s worth, the Obamas are reportedly keeping politics out of their Netflix deal — but, of course, those who cancelled their Netflix subscriptions will have no way of knowing that.