As an entertainment executive working in the OTT or SVOD industry, you constantly look to make decisions that will drive audience engagement, maintain subscriber retention, and ultimately bring about greater profitability. When it comes to content acquisition or production, using demand data can help you make informed decisions that can increase your ROI. Let's take a look at how you can use the example of "DC's Stargirl" in France in December of 2023 to make informed decisions.
Firstly, using demand data, it is easy to answer questions related to content valuation, which can help determine how much you should spend on a particular show. Parrot Analytics' content valuation system uses demand data to measure the dollar value contribution of any title to any platform in any region, which can help you determine the baseline value of a title. For instance, as per the example, "DC's Stargirl" had 3.2 times the audience demand of the average show in France in December of 2023, which shows that it was in good demand and that it might be a valuable investment for any platform.
Additionally, demand data enables you to value content globally, which can also help with content acquisition decisions. You can use geographical demand trends to your advantage, as the data provides insights into which content is most popular in your target market. For instance, this show had an outstanding audience demand in Germany, indicating that it may be worth considering for investment on this platform too.
Demand data is also useful when making distribution decisions, as it allows you to pinpoint which platforms to target for distribution of your content. In this case, the data shows that the show performed outstandingly in the United States. Comparing how it performed over the course of an entire year to a specific month such as December in France, it is noticeable that the show's demand in the latter increased compared to the rolling year average. Therefore, by coupling the global performance data with more specific data from individual markets, you can define a better distribution strategy as per the shows demand trends.
Lastly, demand data is crucial for programming decisions, as it helps you understand your audience's preferences, determine which genres are popular in specific markets, and identify what type of content will help you attract more subscribers while simultaneously retaining existing ones. The example showed, that fans of "DC's Stargirl" also liked "Rick and Morty," "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," and "The Mandalorian," which can be used to inform the acquisition or production of similar shows or potentially reach out to crossover fans of such shows.
In conclusion, demand data has multiple applications and can inform content decisions that may help drive audience engagement, subscriber retention, and profitability on various platforms. Using that same data to uncover the audience's interests, it is possible to use it within an acquisition budget to not only ensure that a service will carry better-valued content for its viewers but also to grow its reach. Therefore, as an Entertainment Executive, one should leverage demand data analysis to deliver better results for their platform.
