It seems that the same blackballing efforts that plagued “Gosnell” are beginning to plague the anti-Planned Parenthood movie “Unplanned.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, TV networks are now refusing to run ads for the PureFlix movie that received a wide theatrical release on Friday.
Lifetime, Hallmark Channel, HGTV and other cable networks other than Fox News have completely blocked “Unplanned” trailers from their platforms.
“If you haven’t seen a commercial for Unplanned, an anti-abortion movie critical of Planned Parenthood, it isn’t for lack trying on the part of marketers, whose efforts have been consistently rebuffed by TV networks,” reports THR. “Pure Flix, the distributor behind the box office hit God’s Not Dead and other movies aimed at Christians, opens the movie in 1,000 theaters today, but outside of the Fox News Channel, every other mainstream television outlet has declined to air the ad.”
The networks have reportedly given the makers of “Unplanned” ambiguous excuses for the decision. Lifetime, for instance, said they would not run ads due to the “sensitive nature of the film,” an obvious deflection, especially when considering that Lifetime previously promoted “an interview with Scarlett Johansson where she pitches Planned Parenthood,” according to the marketers.
“The Travel Channel, Cooking Channel, HGTV and Food Network, each of which are owned by Discovery, also refused to sell ad time for ‘Unplanned’ due to the ‘sensitive nature’ of the movie, say those who tried buying air time,” the report continues. “Other networks that refused to advertise the movie include the Hallmark Channel and USA Network, the latter of which is owned by NBCUniversal.” – READ MORE