Streaming’s Latest Balancing Act: New Releases Vs. Old Favorites

Timing, as they say, is everything. Unsurprisingly, this extends to the entertainment industry as well. Development timelines and programming schedules are two crucial elements of erecting a content library that keeps consumers engaged and prevents paying customers from churning out. Understanding where and when audience demand is concentrated within a release schedule can reveal much-needed insight into how that library is performing.

This chart presents the demand share for series that aired a new episode either in the last 12 or six months as of September 30, 2023, according to Parrot Analytics. Demand is expressed as a share of the total demand for a platform TV catalog. In essence, it helps provide clarity into whether or not a platform is mostly relying on freshly released new TV content or slightly older programming.

For example, Apple TV+ had the largest share of audience demand in the US last quarter concentrated among shows that released new episodes in the last six months. Given the considerably smaller library of Apple TV+ compared to its rivals, it’s no surprise that it is more reliant on a steady stream of new originals than library content.

Disney+ had the smallest share of audience demand in the US last quarter for shows that released new episodes beyond that six month mark. This may speak to the appointment viewing nature of its blockbuster Marvel and Star Wars series that garner significant upfront demand during their initial runs.

The ultimate goal of every platform is to build a library in which various programming across original exclusives, legacy titles and everything in between work in unison to help acquire new subscribers, retain existing subscribers and engage subscribers at higher risk of churning out.