The animated television special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” has been part of the holiday season since 1965, but a new national survey found a majority of Americans are unhappy that it is not being on television this year.
According to a national survey of 1,000 American consumers fielded by QuestionPro, more than 75% of respondents were either “really sad” or “mad as hell” that “A Charlie Brown Christmas” could only be seen on Apple TV+. Nearly 90% of respondents said they enjoy watching the Charlie Brown holiday shows, which were originally seen on CBS and later on PBS. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) bought the exclusive rights to the Charlie Brown holiday franchise in 2020. The only way to watch the show this year will be as an on-demand program through the Apple TV+ streaming service.
“The great irony is the show, which rails against the rampant commercialization of Christmas, now appears to have fallen victim to it,” said Dan Fleetwood, president of research and surveys at QuestionPro. “In the show, Lucy notes that Christmas is run by a big Eastern Syndicate. In real life, consumers are pointing the finger at the big ”˜Western Syndicate”™ ”“ Apple.”
And if Apple TV+ believed having the exclusive rights to “A Charlie Brown Christmas” would help boost its subscription base, more than 75% of respondents said they would not subscribe in order to watch the show. And 88.4% of respondents called on Apple to return the Charlie Brown holiday shows to public television.
The streaming service costs $6.99 per month, and there is a seven-day free trial.
Photo courtesy of Apple TV+
