NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.—As consumers struggle to find content in an increasingly increasingly fragmented streaming ecosystem, streamers are increasingly turning to curated collections and hubs as a way to find relevant programming, a new study from Horowitz Research has found.
The Horowitz study found that most streamers say they value having these curated collections/hubs as part of their streaming services. More than eight in ten streamers watch content from a collection or hub at least occasionally, the Horowitz survey reported.
The new State of Media, Entertainment and Tech: Viewing Behaviors 2023 report from Horowitz Research, a division of M/A/R/C Research, found that multicultural audiences were particularly engaged with these collections and hubs.
“Until the industry works collaboratively to deliver a truly integrated search and discovery experience that comprises content from all possible streaming sources, consumers will continue to struggle to find what to watch” notes Adriana Waterston, insights and strategy lead for Horowitz Research. “Professional curation, such as these hubs or collections, are playing an increasingly relevant role in easing some of those struggles' consumers are facing. These are particularly useful for diverse audiences, who are relying on hubs or collections to more easily identify culturally resonant content which is still very much in-demand and yet not always easy to find.”
Black streamers are especially engaged, with eight in ten (80%) reporting using Black content collections/hubs at least occasionally (similar by age).
Among Asian streamers, nearly two-thirds (65%) watch Asian content collections/hubs, higher among less acculturated Asian streamers (77%).
Similarly, almost six in ten (59%) Latinx streamers report using Latinx content collections/hubs, with nearly eight in ten (78%) less acculturated Latinx reporting doing so.
Among LGBTQIA+ consumers, over half (52%) of streamers report using LGBTQIA+ content collections/hubs.
The study found that consumers were not just turning to culturally relevant collections/hubs. About eight in ten streamers have used collections or hubs for new, just released content; popular/most watched content; and content based on viewing history. Additionally, over half of streamers (53%) have watched holiday content collection/hubs, the researchers said.
The full State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech Volume II: Viewing Behaviors 2023 report explores the services consumers are using and how they divide up their share of viewing per platform, their sources of show discovery, the kind of content they’re consuming on different platforms, which services they feel do the best job at delivering the content they seek, and how they feel the streaming experience could be improved. The survey was published in April 2023 among 2,200 TV content viewers 18+.
More information is available here.
