hashtag #Don’t stream on Max The information was revealed by X on Monday ahead of the annual shareholder meeting of Max’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Started by a collective of fans known as Adopt Our Crew, the hashtag campaign was created on June 3 and spread across X, Instagram and Tumblr, just in time for Warner Bros. Discovery’s annual shareholder meeting. Since Adopt Our Crew’s first tweet, over 22,000 X posts have been created, #Don’t stream on Max hashtag.
Max (formerly known as HBO Max) is a subscription streaming service that offers content from brands such as Warner Bros., HBO, and Discovery Channel, as well as original programming called Max Originals.
The name “Adopt Our Crew” comes from Our flag means death, The pirate-themed period romantic comedy series’ showrunner announced in January that it would not be getting a third season, prompting groups to band together and plead for the series to be picked up elsewhere in an effort to keep fans’ hearts strong after the show’s end.
Members of the group tell Yahoo Entertainment that their mission goes beyond the show: They’re “dedicated to elevating queer stories,” and the #DontStreamOnMax campaign is “the result of months of frustration watching so many shows and movies get canceled or shelved without a full explanation.”
The group says Our flag means death It has garnered “great reviews, high streaming numbers and incredible social media buzz” and has been touted as Max’s “flagship original.”
“if Our flag means death “If we can’t succeed, what can we do? We’re not the only consumers who have been duped,” said a member of the Adopt Our Crew. “Seeing a complex, flawed, beautiful, strange story being told… Our flag means death It changes lives and creates community.”
🧵 Yesterday nice to meet you released its “Our Place on TV” report, and now more than ever it’s important that LGBTQ+ stories are reflected on screen: 18-24 year olds actively seek out queer-inclusive media, yet only 38% are satisfied with how LGBTQ people are represented. pic.twitter.com/QU1361e4RA
— Adopt Our Crew | #AdoptOurCrew (@adoptourcrew) May 1, 2024
This campaign is Our flag means death, It has come to represent something much bigger: 36% of LGBTQ characters on TV shows will not return, according to the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League’s (GLAAD) 2024 “Our Place on Television” report. Of those, 17 characters appeared on canceled Max shows, and eight were on LGBTQ shows that have since been canceled. Our flag stands for death.
Posts using the hashtag are drawing attention to the importance of representation and a perceived failure by streaming services to prioritize fresh and diverse content.
Max and other streaming platforms have come under fire in the past for canceling or removing original programming, depriving viewers who were attached to the shows from watching, and fans have been able to avert show cancellations in the past with dedicated social media campaigns, providing incentive for them to make their voices heard.
In a press release, Adopt Our Crew called on its shareholders, subscribers, consumers and the general public to: [Warner Brothers Discovery] “And Max is alienating viewers, leading to lost subscribers and profits.”
Representatives for Max have not yet responded to a request for comment from Yahoo Entertainment.
