Do streamers need to work harder to attract different demos?
Do streamers need to work harder to attract different demos?
Complimentary programming could be key for streamers as they try to attract different viewership demographics.
Every streaming service out there is searching for answers. It’s not just about attracting subscribers anymore; streamers are now faced with the challenge of retaining the subscribers they’ve already acquired as they strive to stabilize their customer bases. Can demographics hold the key to unlocking a loyal customer pool? New data from Luminate sheds light on one potential avenue for streamers to more effectively keep the customers they have: bundles that take the different wants of key demographic groups into account.
Key Details:
- Men are from Disney+…: Disney+ and Hulu have almost symmetrical gender skews.
- Young and old: Younger viewers are attracted to Disney+ and Hulu, whereas Paramount+ and Prime Video skew older for originals.
- Look to the bundle: Streamers have to key in on content types that appeal to multiple demos when looking for bundle opportunities.
The data from Luminate shows that Disney has done an excellent job of leveraging different demographic groups with its bundle of Disney+ and Hulu. The numbers show that the company has achieved a near-perfect balance between male and female viewers; 56% of Hulu’s audience is female, and 56% of Disney+’s is male.
Click on chart to expand.
Luminate chalks this symmetry to Disney’s offering of so-called “fanboy” shows, like those from the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Hulu, meanwhile, offers titles that are traditionally more popular with women, like “The Handmaid's Tale” and “Paradise.”
But the Disney Bundle hasn’t just harnessed the power of demographic splits between male and female viewers. It can also appeal to different demographic groups with its original shows and movies; Disney+ brings in kids — and thus, their parents — whereas Hulu delivers the all-important age 18 to 34 cohort. By comparison, both Paramount+ and Prime Video tend to attract older viewers with their original programming.
Click on chart to expand.
The data shows that streamers who want to ensure loyalty will have to pay attention to how they are attracting different demographic groups. And loyalty is key — a Samsung survey from fall 2024 found that a majority of Samsung smart TV owners stream the same app on a 10-to-12-month basis, and the more a viewer uses a specific streamer, the less likely they are to cancel.
One way for streamers to take advantage of the differences in demographic groups is to bundle with others. This can have a marked effect; bundles can help boost loyalty all by themselves, since viewers who want to cancel a subscription have to cancel every service within the bundle.
But as the data from Disney+ and Hulu shows, having different content that appeals to different genders and age groups can be a huge factor in the success of a bundle as well. Offering a bundle comprised of services that have distinct content libraries can help them to have broader appeal across demographic groups, thus ensuring greater loyalty.
Streamers don’t necessarily have to bundle to achieve this balance, however. They can also make greater efforts to identify their most popular shows across age and gender groups, then push those shows when trying to reach viewers with advertisements. Most streamers already offer enough different genres to appeal to various demos, and doing a better job of demonstrating that fact instead of focusing on one particular kind of content when trying to attract new subscribers can be a big help.
Streaming services are always on the lookout for an edge in a highly competitive market. An enhanced focus on appealing to multiple demographic groups could help in this regard, whether those efforts are undertaken by a single streamer or whether services bundle together in order to make an even broader appeal to viewers.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”