Hub Research: Expanded Catalog Programming Ups TV Viewing - Media Play News

Erik Gruenwedel

November 11, 2024

Despite the Hollywood strikes and myriad distribution channels for episodic content, new data from Hub Entertainment Research found that TV shows produced during the so-called “Peak TV” years has left viewers with an strong portfolio of catalog programming.

The findings, based on an October survey conducted among 1,602 U.S. consumers with broadband, ages 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week, found that across major services, the number of users who feel streaming services produce more original content than licensed catalog fare declined in 2024. This is the first time that number has gone down in the past few years, according to Hub.

While streamers up their offering of catalog programming, survey respondents said they are noticing the impact that recent expanded studio content licensing deals are having on ways to watch. More than half (60%) agree that they are seeing more shows available in places that differ from where they originally aired – a direct result of studios seeking more revenue by licensing their shows to other streamers and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services.

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A majority (60%) of respondents said that the new favorite show they recently discovered is actually an older show that has been on for several seasons, rather than a new show that just came out in 2024.

In fact, nearly 8 out of 10 (79%) respondents agree that more of their TV time is spent watching TV shows they really like, up significantly from the COVID days of 2020.

“More than ever, viewers are embracing favorite original shows that they may not have seen when they first came out,” Jason Platt Zolov, senior consultant for Hub, said in a statement. “As studios continue to make these shows more broadly accessible, consumers will benefit as long as the streamers can help viewers find those shows with better recommendations and discovery tools.”

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