It’s not a zero sum game. Once the FCC chair did what he did and the affiliate networks made their desires known, there were only two choices: gamble on the brand sentiment impact of pulling the show for an unknown amount of time (which we know now was short) or gamble by playing chicken with the affiliate networks and FCC chair.

As sad as it is to say, we have a lot of data about this: brand image problems are almost always transient while fights with corporate partners and regulators have drastic long term impact.

I abhor the fact that it’s true, but c’mon, it’s pretty clear what someone’s choice would be in that situation if they’re prioritizing shareholder value. Which, again, they are required to by law.

EDIT: I want to be clear here… You are talking as if “people get pissed but we bring it back a week later and then everyone moves on” wasn’t the best possible outcome for them given the circumstances. I think it was, and that was calculated.

Yup! Been doing this and got Nexstar too

I mean, I personally agree with the sentiment, but I’m not naive enough to think that’s the argument we should be having right now. We can tackle “should businesses be expected to self-immolate for the sake of morality” once the fascists are fucking gone.

Like, they did exactly what they were supposed to do here and managed the fucking crisis then got him back on the air ASAP. But people are pissed at Disney for playing the fucking game instead of at Sinclair and Nexstar, because Disney is a more visible target. It’s myopic and pointless.

There has literally never been a case where defending free speech or any other ethical/moral position in the face of imminent business contract impact has successfully been used to defend against a breach of fiduciary responsibility claim.

You are talking about an imminent threat of action from extremely powerful business partners vs a nebulous argument towards the impact of moral decision making on profitability. Quite the contrary, there is a huge body of evidence that shows behaving immorally is often the most profitable behavior.

Brand damage from taking a show off the air for a week is far easier to undo than the fallout from two major affiliates cancelling their contracts for your entire network.

Sorry, I know what point you’re trying to make, and you are theoretically correct but because it’s completely unprovable with no precedent you are practically incorrect.

Huh? What are you talking about? Sinclair and Nexstar are not in any way beholden to Disney. They are affiliate networks. They are not in any way a part of Disney or operating under their guidance

It’s not Disney’s fault, really. It’s Sinclair and Nexstar, the affiliate networks. They’re the ones that could have pushed back without drastic financial consequences, and they’re the ones that pressured ABC to can the show.

Disney management has a fiduciary responsibility they cannot ignore. They handled this as well as they could (and likely raised hell behind closed doors).

Put your ire where it belongs: the fascists and their supporters, not the businesses trying to survive this hellscape without breaking laws

There are LOTS of reasons to hate Disney and their management but this isn’t one of them IMO