Some Netflix users aren’t too happy about the streaming provider’s newly announced deal with former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to produce original content on the service.
After the deal was announced on Monday, a growing number of users have said they’ll cancel their Netflix subscriptions and called on others to do the same. The users, who continue to express their displeasure with the deal on Twitter, have also posted screenshots of their Netflix cancellation confirmation pages.
“Do you subscribe to Netflix?” One Twitter user asked on Monday. “Today they announced a multi-year deal with Barack and Michelle Obama. Please Cancel (sic) your subscription & show them this shall not stand!” Another person said that he “kinda liked Netflix,” but “now I have to cancel.”
“More political crap from Netflix,” another Twitter user wrote. “Many will cancel their subscriptions. Hope it was worth it.”
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Netflix announced on Monday that it had formed a “storytelling partnership” with the Obamas. The multi-year agreement paves the way for the Obamas to produce anything from scripted series to documentaries and features.
“We hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world,” the former President said in a statement.
Netflix’s content chief Ted Sarandos said in a statement that the Obamas are “uniquely positioned to discover and highlight stories of people who make a difference in their communities and strive to change the world for the better.”
Still, some Netflix users have complained that the move could turn political and have voiced their concerns over the web. Indeed, a day after the news was announced, many people are still taking to Twitter to say they’re canceling their subscriptions.
For its part, Netflix declined Coins2Day‘s request for comment on the complaints and instead said it had nothing more to share beyond its statement on Monday. It’s also worth noting that Twitter complaints do not necessarily translate to subscriptions. And since Netflix has 125 million memberships to its streaming service, it’s unlikely the number of cancellations will put a dent in that number.
