# Why streaming mergers make boycotts impossible

> Disney's vast ownership of entertainment made protesting the company nearly impossible. As streaming consolidates further, avoiding services you disagree with will only get harder.
- Title: Why streaming mergers make boycotts impossible · Ars Technica
- Summary: Disney's vast ownership of entertainment made protesting the company nearly impossible. As streaming consolidates further, avoiding services you disagree…
- Keywords: disney, streaming mergers, media consolidation, boycotts, antitrust, fubo, warner bros discovery, paramount, fox, roku, consumer choice, technology
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/what-the-disney-protests-over-kimmel-taught-us-about-streaming-mergers
- Published: 2026-09-30T19:22:19+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: disney, streaming mergers, media consolidation, boycotts, antitrust, fubo, warner bros discovery, paramount, fox, roku, consumer choice, technology
## Disney pulled Jimmy Kimmel off air
ABC removed Jimmy Kimmel Live! over comments he made about responses to Charlie Kirk's murder, sparking calls to boycott Disney among free speech advocates.
## Disney owns far more than you think
Canceling Disney+ proved simple, but Disney also owns Hulu, ABC, FX, ESPN, and partial stakes in A&E, History, and Lifetime, making a complete boycott extremely difficult.
## Favorite shows were all Disney-owned
Many popular shows the author watched, including American Dad, Futurama, Living Single, Fresh Off the Boat, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, were exclusively on Disney-owned platforms.
## Disney controls major film franchises
Disney owns Avatar, Alien, Predator, and Die Hard, meaning boycotting the company meant vetoing entertainment options that extended to the author's partner's favorite movies.
## Protesting one company now means protesting many
A year later, as Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs its twenty-fifth season, the author reflects that protesting ABC once meant simply not watching ABC, but now means boycotting a massive entity.
## Fubo sued Disney over sports streaming
In February two thousand twenty-four, sports-focused streaming service Fubo sued Disney, Fox Corporation, and Warner Bros. Discovery over plans to launch a sports streaming app together.
## Fubo accused Disney of monopoly power
Fubo alleged that Disney forced it to spend millions annually on unwanted non-sports content and that Disney and Fox had monopoly power in the sports programming market.

> create higher pricing for subscribers and cheat consumers from deserved choice
## Disney bought Fubo to end the lawsuit
In January two thousand twenty-five, Disney acquired Fubo, effectively ending the antitrust suit. Fubo then said the merger would bring customers more choice and was fine with the sports app launch.
## Fubo raised prices after channel dispute
In July, Fubo increased monthly subscription prices by fifteen dollars after restoring channels lost during a contract dispute with NBCUniversal, ending up charging more than before the dispute.

> The rising cost of bringing you the programming you enjoy means that, unfortunately, we need to pass some of these increases on to you
## More streaming mergers are coming
Experts predict more streaming mergers as services launched at unsustainably low prices now face pressure to reach profitability. Mergers help manage content costs and build larger libraries.
## Warner Bros and Paramount plan merger
Warner Bros. Discovery and Skydance Paramount are planning a controversial union putting HBO Max, Discovery Plus, CNN, and Paramount Plus under one owner, also removing Pluto TV as a free option.
## Fox plans to buy Roku
Fox plans to acquire Roku, which owns separate free ad-supported streaming services. A merger could reduce free streaming options and potentially spread unfavorable strategies like higher ad loads.
## Content discovery drives cancellations
In Gracenote's two thousand twenty-five State of Play survey of three thousand consumers across six countries, forty-nine percent said they are willing to cancel a service based on difficulty finding what to watch.

> are willing to cancel a service based on difficulty finding what to watch
## Consolidation makes meaningful protest impossible
As streaming services unite, it becomes harder to protest and avoid services making disagreeable decisions like raising prices or pulling shows. Customers face higher prices and less diverse ownership.
## Key takeaway

Streaming industry consolidation makes it nearly impossible for consumers to boycott companies over disagreeable decisions, as major owners control multiple entertainment platforms simultaneously.