Top Brands Are Not Only Halting Ads on Elon Musk's X, They're Completely Abandoning the Platform
Major advertisers are not only halting ads on Elon Musk's X, but also distancing themselves entirely from the platform The exodus from X is spreading beyond just big brands
This article was originally featured in the "Reliable Sources" newsletter. Subscribe to receive daily updates on the changing media landscape. The impact of the exodus from X is not limited to major advertisers.
Several prominent media brands have recently halted their paid marketing campaigns on Elon Musk's social platform and stopped posting on it altogether. The accounts of Disney, Paramount, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN's parent company) have been inactive for approximately 10 days. This decision comes after Musk's endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory, for which he has yet to apologize.
None of the studios provided a comment to CNN when contacted on the issue. However, sources familiar with the social media strategies of Paramount and WBD confirmed that the decision to stop posting on X was not coincidental and was made due to concerns, including brand safety. The blackout on X also extends to high-profile accounts affiliated with Disney, such as @StarWars, @Pixar, and @MarvelStudios, which have ceased posting on the platform and transitioned to the Meta-owned rival Threads.
"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" shared news on Monday that host Stephen Colbert would be off the air this week due to appendicitis, doing so on Threads. Prior to Musk's backing of an antisemitic post, however, Colbert's show was primarily active on X, regularly posting videos and other content. Now, the opposite is true.
When reached for comment on Monday, a representative for X did not directly address questions about the loss of the media behemoth on the platform, which must be setting off alarm bells inside the social media company. It's already bad for the struggling company to be starved of advertising revenue. It's even worse if it's also starved of content, particularly from household entities that have helped make the platform the center of real-time discussion for years.
It is possible that these companies may change their minds and start posting and advertising on the platform again in the future. This has happened before when advertisers have left a platform in large numbers. However, it is also possible that this may not happen.
With Musk leading the platform and making critical decisions that have led to a rise in hate speech (while also contributing to the negative rhetoric himself), the risk of engaging with the company has significantly increased. This situation is similar to when Tucker Carlson drove away most advertisers from the 8pm hour on Fox News during his time at the network.
As more companies and influential individuals turn away from Musk's platform in favor of other social networks, its once powerful appeal diminishes, giving regular users another reason to leave the troubled platform behind. According to Platformers Casey Newton, "Every day, more brands are waking up to the reality that Twitter is dead and X is a cesspool." He added, "The global town square is now dispersed across many different platforms, and increasingly the most relevant conversations are taking place elsewhere."
