#DontStreamOnMax is trending on social media. Why the streaming service Max is facing a boycott.
More than 22,000 X posts have been created with the #DontStreamOnMax hashtag since the campaign began June 3.
The hashtag #DontStreamOnMax surfaced on X on Monday ahead of the annual stockholder meeting for Max’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Launched by a fan collective known as Adopt Our Crew, the hashtag campaign was created on June 3 and permeated X, Instagram and Tumblr — just in time for Warner Bros. Discovery’s annual stockholder meeting. Since Adopt Our Crew’s initial tweet, more than 22,000 X posts have been created with the #DontStreamOnMax hashtag.
While this may have started with the campaign to save #OurFlagMeansDeath, #DontStreamOnMax seeks to hold WBD and Max accountable and show those in power that we won’t back down or be silenced.
Read more: https://t.co/5s5i5UmQ4M pic.twitter.com/DgR95pFV4U— Adopt Our Crew | #AdoptOurCrew (@adoptourcrew) June 3, 2024
Max, formerly known as HBO Max, is a subscription streaming service that offers content from Warner Bros., HBO, Discovery Channel and other brands. It also offers original programming known as Max Originals.
The name “Adopt Our Crew” was inspired by Our Flag Means Death, a period romantic comedy series about pirates. Its showrunner announced in January that it wouldn’t return for a third season, which inspired the group to come together to keep their fandom strong despite the show ending end of the show — and advocate for the series to be picked up elsewhere.
Members of the group told Yahoo Entertainment that their mission now extends beyond the show. They are “dedicated to elevating queer stories,” and the #DontStreamOnMax campaign is the “result of months of frustration at seeing so many shows and movies canceled or shelved without sufficient explanation.”
The group says Our Flag Means Death had “excellent reviews, high streaming numbers, incredible social media buzz” and was promoted as a “flagship original” for Max.
“If Our Flag Means Death can't succeed, what can? We aren't the only consumers who have been burned,” members of Adopt Our Crew said. “Seeing complicated, flawed, beautiful, queer stories like those depicted on Our Flag Means Death changes lives and creates community.”
?? Yesterday @glaad released their “Where We Are on TV” report. Now more than ever, it is important that LGBTQ+ stories are reflected on screen. While 18-24 year olds actively seek out queer-inclusive media, only 38% are satisfied with how LGBTQ people are represented. pic.twitter.com/QU1361e4RA
— Adopt Our Crew | #AdoptOurCrew (@adoptourcrew) May 1, 2024
Though the campaign began with fans of Our Flag Means Death, it has come to represent something much larger. According to the 2024 Where We Are on TV report from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), 36% of all LGBTQ characters on television shows won’t be returning — 17 of those characters were on canceled Max shows, and 8 of them were on Our Flag Means Death.
Posts using the hashtag draw attention to the importance of representation and perceived failure on the part of the streaming service to prioritize fresh and diverse content.
I #DontStreamOnMax because they talk “quality” yet cancel their most critically acclaimed, diverse shows in favour of lower performing shows with big IPs. HBO was once a prestigious channel, now it’s leading the death of television. #FireDavidZaslav #OurFlagMeansDeath pic.twitter.com/9LCG3DZuzw
— Lucy ????????? #SaveOFMD (@lucyrosebutler) June 3, 2024
Max and other streaming platforms have received criticism in the past for canceling and removing original programming, making the shows inaccessible to viewers who felt a connection to them. Fans have also been able to save shows from cancellation in the past with dedicated social media campaigns, so there’s an incentive to make their voices heard.
In a press release, Adopt Our Crew stated its goal is to make “stockholders, subscribers, consumers and the general public aware of how the recent actions of [Warner Brothers Discovery] and Max are alienating audiences, resulting in subscriber and profit losses.”
Representatives from Max have not yet responded to a request for comment from Yahoo Entertainment.
