Netflix recently announced that it has partnered with former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for a multi-year content deal. Conservatives, however, threatened to cancel their Netflix subscription to protest the tie-up.
The Obamas will apparently produce shows, movies, features and documentaries under their company Higher Ground Productions. The content will be streamed for Netflix's 125 million subscribers in 190 countries but conservatives are skeptical about the Obamas' liberal agenda.
"I will read the Bible instead," one conservative stated on Twitter where #BoycottNetflix became a trending topic. Others did not even wait for the Obama couple's first show or movie to premiere and posted screenshots of their cancelled Netflix subscriptions.
But media experts told Newsweek that calls to boycott the streaming platform over their deal with the Obamas would not actually have any impact on Netflix. Professor Charlton McIlwain cited that a similar boycott campaign fizzled out in March after Netflix welcomed former Obama-appointed UN Ambassador Susan Rice as one of its board of directors.
Reed Hastings, the streaming platform's CEO, has also openly expressed his political leaning when he supported Hillary Clinton and criticized Donald Trump during the last presidential elections. Despite this, Netflix's growth continued.
Obama said that he would not use Netflix to challenge conservatives in the media or launch a public campaign against current government officials. He said in the press release, "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."
Netflix began negotiating with the former First Couple last March. Reports revealed that the former president was considering digital media ventures in his final days in the White House.
"He is very interested in how people consume information and the changing trends," former White House communications director Jen Psaki told CNN.
