Disney+ cancels two shows amid industry-wide streaming controversy

Disney+ TV shows The Mighty Ducks and Big Shot are the latest to be hit by industry-wide mass cancellations of streaming shows and movies.

Disney+ TV show The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and Big Shot has been canceled after just two seasons, the latest in a series of contentious streaming service cancellations across the industry. Mighty Ducks: Game Changers centers on a group of middle school students who decide to form their own underdog hockey team to combat the selectivity of their school hockey team. Meanwhile, sports drama Big Shot tells the story of Marvyn Korn (John Stamos), who goes from coaching a college basketball team to coaching a girls' high school team.

TVLine says Disney+ has canceled The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and Big Shot due to underperforming shows. The decision to renew "Big Shot" for season 2 despite low ratings was reportedly one of the reasons why Disney exec Peter Rice was abruptly fired. Meanwhile, "Invincible Ducks: The Game Changer" took a hit when the franchise's original star, Emilio Estevez, left the show after just one season due to creative differences.

Why Are So Many Streaming Shows Being Cancelled?

While Disney+ seems to have reason to cut Big Shot and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, this still adds to the streamer's tendency to cancel series from its platform in rapid succession. Disney+, Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount+, and others have all made headlines for canceling multiple shows, some of which were so popular that they were well-received by viewers. Some of the most contentious cancellations are HBO Max's Titans and Doom Patrol and Netflix's 1899, which I'm not happy with, and Julie and the Phantom.

In many cases, the shows were canceled months after their premiere, a period that some viewers felt was insufficient to gauge the show's popularity and success. The reason for all these cancellations is simple, and mostly boils down to rising costs and loss of subscribers across the industry. Disney+ is one of several streaming services that have experienced subscriber loss. While the reasons for these losses are unclear and vary by streamer, Disney appears to attribute the losses to focusing too much on early success and subscribers rather than working on how to maintain them. At the same time, subscriber churn is especially worrisome in the face of escalating costs. HBO is reportedly still paying millions for the canceled final season of "Westworld," even as the prospect of a recession looms.

Subscriber churn, cost-cutting measures and economic conditions were the main reasons for the loss of streaming subscribers It seems like a lot of shows have been canceled. The changing economy means major streamers and studios will change their strategies and only invest in shows/movies that are almost certain to be successful and profitable. Many of these platforms may be trying to learn from HBO's huge Westworld fee and avoid getting entrenched in low-rated shows. Disney+'s cancellation of Big Shot and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is evidence of the streaming industry's growing struggles.