By Alex Harring
Copyright cnbc
Heaney noted that the entertainment giant faced backlash for both Kimmel’s original comments and the subsequent move to halt his show’s production. And then bring him back.
Critics of Disney’s decision — including Democratic-leaning Hollywood power players — argued that the company was acquiescing to appease President Donald Trump’s administration rather than stand up for the First Amendment right of free speech. Kimmel’s show returned to much higher viewership than is typical.
A chart Heaney shared with clients of the bank’s research showed the readings of positive Disney sentiment divided by negative sentient among Democrats, Republicans and all consumers plunging to near zero, the lowest readings going back to before 2024.
Disney also announced late last month it was upping prices for many of its subscriptions by $2 to $3. The new cost tiers take effect Oct. 21.
Heaney noted that Disney as a whole saw its highest brand awareness in the past two years. For Disney+ specifically, the jump was much smaller, which the analyst said bodes well from a business perspective for CEO Bob Iger.
“This is clearly a PR hit for Disney,” Heaney said. “But the data implies a smaller impact on Disney+ than the brand as a whole, which may limit the amount of streaming churn.”
Disney shares have dropped 6% over the last month, pulling the stock into the red for 2025. But Heaney reaffirmed his buy rating and $144 price target, which implies nearly 30% upside over Wednesday’s close.
