After launching its streaming service in 2019, with a promise of family-friendly viewing, Disney Plus is now bringing over content from Hulu. Disney owns Hulu, the popular streaming service, after purchasing it last summer.
Melissa Henson, senior policy adviser for media and culture at Concerned Women for America, told American Family News that means a lot of R-rated and TV-MA content is migrating over to Disney Plus.
Disney’s launch of its Disney Plus streaming service came with a promise of a PG-13 rating among its most objectionable programs.
"What we're going to see is more than 2,000 percent increase in the R movies on Disney Plus," said Henson. "Right now, they have only about 19, and when they merge the Hulu catalog, they're going to be adding 420 R-titles to the Disney Plus platform."
In terms of TV-MA content, Henson said that Disney Plus currently has about 45 TV-MA-rated series.
"They're going to be adding 380 from Hulu,” she advised.
If all that new objectionable content is concerning to parents, Disney Plus offers parental controls to prevent children from accessing the content.
However, studies have found that minors find ways to access things that adults do not deem appropriate.
If moms and dads feel Disney Plus has backtracked from its assurances with the new content, Henson and CWA point out parents can share that feedback with Disney. Henson suggests using the Disney app to do so or visit the Investor Relations page.
"They need to be aware that this is damaging the Disney brand,” she said, “and it's going to be damaging the trust that families have invested in Disney over the years."
