Ads for Netflix’s online store appeared under Holocaust denial videos hosted on Rumble, a video platform popular among the far-right. Photo by Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images

By Adam Kovac March 15, 2023

Advertisements for Netflix’s store, which sells T-shirts, bobbleheads and other branded merchandise for popular shows like Stranger Things, have been popping up on controversial streaming site Rumble, including on videos that deny the Holocaust.

The ads, which displayed as a banner beneath the site’s video player, were first reported on by progressive media watchdog group Media Matters. The Forward verified the ads were appearing on the site, including on videos purporting to disprove the Holocaust, on Wednesday morning. By 1 p.m., the Netflix ads were no longer appearing on the site.

“These ads were made without our knowledge or consent and they have now been removed,” a Netflix spokesperson told the Forward.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Rumble was founded a decade ago as an alternative to YouTube and has grown popular among the far-right after figures like Fox News host Sean Hannity, online commentator Stephen Crowder and election conspiracist Dinesh D’Souza began hosting content on the site. Former president Donald Trump, who was banned from YouTube following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, also has a presence on Rumble.

Although publicly traded, Rumble has been the recipient of investment from prominent right-wing venture capitalist Peter Thiel and now-senator J.D. Vance.

Eric Hananoki, a senior investigative reporter for Media Matters, said he began seeing the ads during routine monitoring of antisemitic content on Rumble. Other companies’ advertisements also get displayed on the site, but many are for small companies offering weight-loss solutions, guides for investing in gold, so-called miracle diabetes cures and survivalist self-defense courses.

Netflix was “the most prominent” company Hananoki saw advertising on Rumble during his research. 

“I had one for ivermectin a couple of weeks ago,” said Hananoki, referencing the drug that many conspiracy theorists erroneously believe is a treatment for COVID-19. “A lot of quack companies but Netflix stands out because it’s such a contrast.”

In its terms of service, Rumble says users “may not post or transmit any message which is abusive, inciting violence, harassing, harmful, hateful, anti-semitic, racist or threatening.”

However, numerous videos with titles such as “Holocaust History They Do Not Teach In School – Facts And Math They Do Not Want You To Know” were easily found on the site. One channel called The Holocaust Handbook Series features dozens of videos that have been on the site for years.

In an email, a Rumble spokesperson said the site has “has strict moderation policies banning antisemitism and racism, as well as many other restrictions,” but did not elaborate on how they are enforced. When the Forward sent links to some of the Holocaust denial videos, a Rumble spokesperson replied, saying one of the videos had already been removed and “the other video and channel have been disabled for violating our content policies.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comment from Netflix.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount