Hulu blocks ads on abortion, guns, and climate change — and Dems aren’t happy - The Verge
Abortion rights, gun control, and climate change have taken center stage for Democrats running in this year’s midterm elections. But Disney-backed Hulu, has repeatedly blocked ads focusing on these central campaign issues.
Abortion rights, gun control, and climate change have taken center stage for Democrats running in this year’s midterm elections. But the popular streaming service Hulu has repeatedly rejected Democratic ads focusing on these central campaign issues over the last few weeks, as first reported by The Washington Post on Monday.
On July 15th, a group of Democratic campaign organizations attempted to purchase a joint ad on abortion and gun control on the Disney-backed Hulu platform along with other digital buys on Facebook, YouTube, and Roku and more traditional placements on broadcast and cable channels. The ad ran on every other platform, but Hulu rejected it. Hulu hasn’t told the groups if it will run the ad, a Democratic party official told The Verge.
In a joint statement on Hulu’s rejection on Monday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Democratic Governors Association said, “Hulu’s censorship of the truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country.”
After the ad went live on the accepted platforms, the groups reached out to Hulu asking for clarification. On July 18th, a Hulu representative said that the ad was rejected due to “content related” issues. Hulu reps declined a series of other clarifying calls from the committees last week before a rep sent an email saying that the ad was accepted, according to emails viewed by The Verge. But hours after receiving the message, Hulu said it “was sent in error.”
The Democratic committees still haven’t received a clear answer as to why the ads were rejected. But their ad is just the latest in a growing list of too “sensitive” to air ads from Democrats seeking placement on Hulu in the last few weeks alone.
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