Netflix cancellations spike after release of film ‘sexualising children’

Netflix experienced a sharp spike in cancelled subscriptions after it released the controversial film Cuties, two analytical firms have reported.

In the film, 11-year-old girls are shown being taught how to dance provocatively, and later perform an extremely suggestive dance routine involving ‘twerking’, gyrating and sexual touching in front of a crowd.

Despite public outrage and calls to remove the film, Netflix refused, sparking more than 200,000 tweets featuring the hashtag #CancelNetflix the day after the film was made available to stream.

‘Meaningful spike’

Antenna, a data analytics firm tracking Netflix subscribers, said there was a “meaningful spike” in cancellations during the period after the film’s release.

The firm added that the streaming service lost five times as many subscribers in the days after the release of Cuties than it lost in the previous month. Another firm, YipitData, said cancellations in September were “nearly eight times the daily levels observed in August”.

In the aftermath, Netflix admitted to its investors it had fallen short of its subscriber target for that quarter.

Exploiting children

The film has been branded “child pornography” and “morally and ethically reprehensible” for its “hyper-sexualisation” of children.

While Netflix claims the film is a “social commentary against the sexualization of young children”, it has been accused of exploiting children, with the producer revealing that around 650 girls were considered for the lead role.

The streaming service still has not removed Cuties.