Why TV archives are now so important to streaming
Returning TV shows that launched a new series on Netflix last year helped nearly double viewing numbers for older seasons.
Research from Ampere Analysis on a sample of programmes that debuted new series on Netflix in the second half of 2023 saw an increase of 86% in viewing hours for older seasons compared with the first half of last year.
In contrast, shows that did not launch a new series in that period saw a viewing decline of 46% compared with H1 2023.
French crime thriller Lupin, which released part three in October 2023, saw the most significant increase. Viewing hours for part one and part two surged by fivefold from 33m in H1 2023 to 165m in H2.
Scripted series like Lupin appeared to be the main beneficiaries of this trend; the average returning series saw past seasons’ viewing hours double in H2, Ampere said.
However, unscripted series don’t benefit as much. The average unscripted show with a new season saw a 7% decline in viewing compared with H1 2023. This is relative to a baseline fall in viewing for unscripted shows with no 2023 release of 63% in H2 compared with H1.
The boost from new releases also extends to related titles. Animated series One Piece saw a viewing uplift of 67% in H2 2023 with the release of Netflix’s live-action series of the same title. Squid Game recorded a 32% increase in H2 2023 with the release of reality spin-off Squid Game: The Challenge.
Analysis: From ‘streaming wars’ to promiscuous platforms?
Ampere’s findings demonstrate the power of the streaming archive — a new season launch offers a “double hit” of fresh audience impressions plus a substantial lode of views for earlier episodes.
Streaming became expensive because keeping viewers’ attention meant constantly putting out fresh shows and movies. Even a “hit” TV show will debut with a big surge in viewership and quickly taper off.
Now, consumers demand more “value”, meaning having a large archive of content to rely on in addition to new attractions.
While many of its hit originals (House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Narcos) are given credit for helping Netflix gain market dominance, the platform also benefited massively from being able to license popular oldies from legacy broadcasters that had not yet launched their own direct-to-consumer platforms.
UK TV marketing body Thinkbox remarked in 2020 that “Netflix is a company substantially built on licensing broadcasters’ archives”, pointing out that its top three shows in 2019 were imported from “telly”: Friends (Comcast/NBC), The Big Bang Theory (Paramount/CBS) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, then NBC).
Instead of reliably outbidding each other for the latest original series or big-budget film, global streaming platforms are also engaging in a much subtler trading game. Consumers may see a much more promiscuous streaming environment in which TV series appear on one platform, disappear after a few months and reappear somewhere else.
As The Media Leader reported during ITV’s Palooza upfront in November 2023, the unveiling of teen comedy Extraordinary as a new release prompted audible surprise from another journalist who had just seen the same show on Disney+. Neil Mortensen, director of ITV Insights Group, commented later that month that broadcaster VOD service ITVX’s archive and film content now make up over a quarter (28%) of streams.
ITV, a Thinkbox shareholder, talked about its most-watched streaming content being imports from other broadcasters, such as The Vampire Diaries (Nexstar/The CW), Smallville (Warner Bros/The WB) and Community (NBC).
Archive’s importance rises with ad-supported tiers
While new releases are still important — Ampere shows that Netflix’s 2023 releases accounted for more than one-quarter (26%) of TV season viewing hours that year — they also add value to older seasons.
As Joe Hall, senior analyst at Ampere, explained, the importance of strong archives is only likely to increase as the streaming giants seek to grow their ad-supported offerings.
“With streaming business models increasingly focused on ad-supported tiers, viewing volumes are crucial for attracting advertisers and generating ad revenue,” Hall said. “This makes returning series an attractive prospect to these companies, as they can help sustain engagement for older seasons long after release.”
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