Netflix has experienced its worst month in years after the popular streaming service reported a drop of thousands of paid subscribers after threatening to boycott the state of Georgia for passing the Heartbeat bill, which would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat was detected.
The online streaming service had projected a growth of 352,000 subscribers in the United States, however, according to its second quarter earnings report, Netflix witnessed a drop of more than 126,000 subscribers.
In May, Netflix, along with Disney and WarnerMedia, threatened to boycott Georgia for the pro-life stance of the state. The state has become a center for film and television due to tax incentives, which generated an estimated income of $ 2.7 billion in 2017.
Netflix content director Ted Sarandos told Variety that they will work with the ACLU and others to combat pro-life legislation in court. If the legislation is implemented, Sarandos said the content streaming service would rethink his investment in the pro-life state:
"We have many women who work in productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions, will be severely restricted by this law. That is why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight in court."
Since the legislation has not yet been implemented, we will continue filming there, while we will also support partners and artists who choose not to do so. But if it ever went into effect, we would rethink all our investment in Georgia.
According to a Gallup survey conducted in May 2018, almost 50 percent of Americans consider themselves pro-life, while the Pew Research Center found that 37 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be illegal in all or In most cases.
This is the first quarterly loss of paid domestic subscribers for Netflix in eight years, who is blaming the drop in U.S. s