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Trends in global streaming and how Twitter drives tune-in

By Ged Tarpey. Published on August 23, 2022.
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Life is a collection of choices with varying levels of importance, but few choices have more momentary importance and impact than “what are we watching tonight?” Whether it’s a new original series that brings the laughs or a classic movie that brings on the nostalgia, streaming gives fans an experience wherever they are, and its popularity isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

To understand the streamer perspective, Twitter consistently runs research on streaming behaviors, content preferences, timeline conversation and more. Because there's a never-ending amount of information available about streaming services, we want to help break down the highlights so studios have easy access to what's going on behind the scenes and what audiences actually care about.

Globally, viewers turn to streaming services mainly to watch new original content, with catalog content trailing closely behind in popularity.¹ And our research shows studios matching the trend, as an increasing number of platforms take back the rights to stream their classics while simultaneously ramping up new original content. While sports programming and adaptations are less popular, they’re still strong streaming drivers. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the type of content available on a platform plays a significant role in how consumers weigh in on what services they subscribe to … or not.

 

 

Studios looking to find success in a thriving market of established and upcoming streaming services will need to take the time to expand the reach of their exclusive content and uniquely engage with audiences. Here are trends and opportunities we’re seeing in the industry, and how studios can achieve success by converting streamers into fans.

1. Reach out and touch the timeline. Looking across North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, our research shows that more than 67% of the sampled audiences watches two or more streaming services, and almost 51% watch three.² This is a significant figure considering the varying preferences and socioeconomic ranges of households around the world. As an aside, on average, audiences on Twitter are 44% more likely than non-Twitter users to watch more than three streaming services.³

For streamers, the combination of content and conversation enhances streaming experiences. Having a built-in watch party on the timeline, streamers can discuss and debate before, during and after their favorite shows, covering everything from the latest happenings to viral moments.

For others, timeline conversations get people excited to join new communities and watch content they haven’t seen. This kind of conversation organically drives interest, and for studios that interest may mean tune-in as streamers look to stay in the loop on the most talked-about movies and shows. This gives studios a unique opportunity to be a part of the conversation and deepen the connection with audiences.

 

 

2. Make a genuine connection with fans.

Twitter is the thread connecting communities around entertainment in real-time. With over 250 million tweets and 37 million⁴ unique authors mentioning streaming-specific content over the last year, it’s easy to see that Twitter is not only the platform where fans dive deeper into the shows and movies they love, it’s also the platform where users discover new content. Approximately 51% of U.S. Twitter users find out about TV shows from social media⁵ and U.S. Twitter users are more likely to use social media as a means of discovery, compared with users from other leading social media platforms.⁶ What’s more, 72% of people surveyed on Twitter say that Twitter makes them feel like they’re a part of an online community. The Twitter timeline lends itself as a place where cultural moments can—and do—occur.⁷

 

 

This method of discovery is only preceded by recommendations from friends and advertising on the streaming platform themselves.

3. Conversation equals success. In a crowded and global streaming market, studios have to find fresh ways to cut through the noise. And for the entertainment industry we know that the power of conversation on Twitter drives tune-in. Exposure to conversation and paid media yields on average 1.5-times higher tune-in compared with paid media alone from studios.⁸ And Twitter is by far the most efficient way to drive conversation with a 4:1 ratio of conversation impact compared with TV, print, OOH and other leading social media outlets.⁹

 

 

Streamers start out as audiences, but when a studio can organically foster authentic connections with these viewers they quickly become fans. And fans create communities that thrive on Twitter. This is where the long-lasting value lies.

¹ YouGov RealTime Survey commissioned by Twitter, March 11-April 4 2022. “Which one of the following types of content do you watch via streaming services most often” (SINGLE SELECT). Active Twitter Users. UK n=733,SP n=454,CA n=292,BR n=296,US n=473,ID n=1,137,MX n=334,FR n=166,JP n=421

² YouGov RealTime Survey commissioned by Twitter, March 11-April 4 2022. “Which, if any, of the following streaming services have you ever watched content from? This includes services you’re subscribed to and services you’ve watched content from”. Selected at least 2 (64%) or at least 3 (50%) options. Active Twitter Users. UK n=733,SP n=454,CA n=292,BR n=296,US n=473,ID n=1,137,MX n=334,FR n=166,JP n=421

³ YouGov RealTime Survey, March 11-April 4 2022. “Which, if any, of the following streaming services have you ever watched content from? This includes services you’re subscribed to and services you’ve watched content from”. Selected at least 3 options. Active Twitter Users, n=211. Non-Twitter social media users (Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, WeChat, Qzone, Meetup, Weibo, Tiktok OR YouTube). Active Twitter Users. UK n=733,SP n=454,CA n=292,BR n=296,US n=473,ID n=1,137,MX n=334,FR n=166,JP n=421.

⁴ Twitter Internal Data (Semantic Core). Global Tweets (including RTs) from 7/30/2021-7/25/2022. Retrieved July 2022.

⁵ YouGov Profiles Data. Question: Ways of finding out about new TV shows (select all that apply). US only. Retrieved March 11-April 4 2022.

⁶ YouGov Profiles Data. Question: Ways of finding out about new TV shows (select all that apply). US only. Retrieved March 11-April 4 2022.

⁷ Twitter Insiders, US Only, October 21–28, 2020, n=167

⁸ Source: Samba, commissioned by Twitter, TV Tune-In, April 2020-June 2022. US. N=162 


⁹ Source: Twitter Meta Analysis: Measuring the impact of Earned Conversation, Neustar MMM (2019)

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