10 Biggest Mistakes Entertainment Companies Made

#10: Discovery Channel

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Launched in 1985, the Discovery Channel has spent decades educating audiences about the animal kingdom, human behavior and planet Earth itself. With their celebrated track record, they seem like the perfect candidates to host the annual Shark Week - an block of programming dedicated to appreciating these often misunderstood ocean predators. But in a desperate ratings bid in 2013, they failed miserably, airing a mockumentary about the search for the extinct Megalodon that sank into the realm of self-parody. Maybe they should go for a swim with the sharks to apologize personally - might scare some back into them.

EA is no stranger to backlash. In fact, it’s the first company ever to have received The Consumerist’s “Worst Company in America” award two years in a row. Their 2012 release of a recycled FIFA 12 as FIFA 13 on Wii and PlayStation Vita disappointed fans. And their censorship of low user ratings for 2014’s “Dungeon Keeper” - a “free” game packed with microtransactions - provoked widespread criticism. But worse was to come with 2017’s “Star Wars Battlefront II” - again thanks to microtransactions. The game’s loot box monetization system was slammed as making its multiplayer mode “pay-to-win”, and the company’s defensive response on Reddit became the most downvoted comment of all time. Although they revamped the system, the damage was already done.

#8: CBS & Paramount

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Star Trek fans are a . . . passionate . . . bunch. But in 2014, even artist Christian Gossett was surprised at the response to his Kickstarter campaign for a short, fanmade film about the Battle of Axanar. Instead of $10,000, his campaign received over $100,000. The short was such a success that he followed up with a new campaign for a feature film. It was then that CBS and Paramount brought the hammer down. In 2015, the studios filed a copyright lawsuit, and not even the protests of “Star Trek” director J. J. Abrams could change their course. The fiasco even spawned a debate over who “owns” Klingon. Way to take care of the fans, guys.

How the mighty have fallen. In the 90s and 2000s, Japanese company Konami built a sterling reputation for well-crafted video games, thanks to franchises like Silent Hill and Metal Gear. But in 2015, the company suddenly changed directions, shrugging off beloved properties in favour of mobile games and microtransactions. Their vindictive breakup with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima enraged fans, who decried the conglomerate’s removal of Kojima’s name from promotional material, and refusal to let him accept an award at the The Game Awards 2015. Reports have also surfaced of routine, cruel employee practices that, to be honest, surprised absolutely no one - least of all their disillusioned fans.

#6: The Fine Bros

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The Fine Bros have been providing entertaining content for quite some time now, but most would agree that they’ve made one major slip-up in their otherwise illustrious history. They’re best known for their popular “reaction” videos, in which they film people’s immediate responses to given topics or experiences. In 2016, they sought to trademark the term “react”, and license others to make reaction videos, hoping to expand their profits. Speaking of ‘reactions’, however, people had an unsurprisingly negative one towards the Fine Bros’ proposal - because, c’mon, you want to “own” reacting to things? Good luck with that.

Sony had good reason to panic about bad press for their films “A Knight’s Tale” and “The Animal”, which weren’t exactly critical darlings. Their marketing team’s solution, however, backfired spectacularly. Sony’s promotional material for the films included review quotes from a completely fabricated film critic identified as “David Manning of the Ridgefield Press”. Manning also featured on ads for “The Patriot”, “Vertical Limit”, and “Hollow Man”. Of course, moviegoers quickly saw just how wrong “Manning” was, resulting in a 1.5 million dollar lawsuit. Maybe use quotes from the few positive reviews that actually came out about your movies next time?

#4: Nintendo

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Fans love Nintendo so much, many have developed Let’s Plays and video reviews around their content. The big “N” must be so proud . . . right? Well, they’re SO proud, that in 2013 they flagged numerous Let’s Play videos on YouTube to claim their ad avenue. What better way to express their appreciation for fans? In the backlash that followed, several prominent YouTubers boycotted Nintendo, and in 2015 the company introduced their controversial Nintendo Creators Program, which demanded final approval on videos and a share of the ad revenue. They didn’t back down until 2018, when they suddenly realized - oh yeah, fan communities and free advertising are actually GOOD things.

Go! Go! Power Rangers-copyright claims! Saban has made aggressive moves to protect its intellectual property over the years, coming down hard on Halloween costumes, indie video game developers, and even virtual merchandise in Second Life. But they provoked fan rage when they came out swinging against director Joseph Kahn’s excellent fanmade short “Power/Rangers” in 2015. It was a dark, gritty, and humorous treatment of the franchise that amused fans, but Saban had the video removed from both Vimeo and YouTube. In response to public outcry, they wisely backpedalled, as their legal zords realized that it was ‘morphin time . . . at least for public relations purposes.

#2: Cartoon Network

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Cartoon Network: a network made up of cartoons - cartoons produced for a network. The company’s name perfectly captures what they were all about. Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo and Dexter’s Lab are just a few of the excellent series they’ve produced. So it’s baffling that in the late 2000s, they cancelled Toonami and launched a number of questionable live-action shows - including the dismal “Out of Jimmy's Head”. It was a new direction that no one had asked for, and we can all breathe a sigh that it was short-lived, with Toonami making a comeback on Adult Swim in 2012.

2015’s “Jem and the Holograms” was more than a Box Office bomb. It was also a slap in the face for nostalgic fans of the original animated series. Director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation completely changed the story, and was so poorly received that Universal pulled it from theatres. Worst of all, Chu had invited fans to submit videos sharing how Jem had inspired them, for the chance to win a part in the film. This turned out to be misleading at best. Their footage was edited into the film’s climax, so that it seemed like the fans were talking about the film’s version of Jem. Which as any disappointed 80s kid will tell you . . . they definitely were NOT.