Connections

A new eBook from Whip Media Group details some recent streaming examples showing that with the right data-driven strategy, content owners and distributors can be assured they’re getting the right content to the right audiences at the right time.

The publication — “Predict Content Performance with New Behavioral Insights” — stresses how by “integrating behavioral insights on how audiences anticipate and engage with content are likely to trigger new and better licensing deals that may not have been previously considered.

“The ever-changing licensing world requires a transformational online marketplace enriched with proprietary predictive insights to enable buyers and sellers to work more efficiently and make smarter deals,” the report begins.

An influx of new streaming services and the global expansion of others worldwide is creating a challenge when it comes to matching content supply and demand. Add in production delays, changing release windows, and traditional providers of licensed content reserving content for their own service, and you’ve got a huge need for just the right content acquisition strategy.

That means an increased use of data and a reliance on consumer insights, according to the report. And examples of how to do it are all over the place, including Spain’s “La Casa de Papel,” France’s “Lupin” and Korea’s “Squid Game.”

“For France’s ‘Lupin,’ Whip Media surfaced trends that audiences were highly anticipating the series before its debut,” the report reads. “Having an existing fanbase doesn’t mean that a title or series will be a success. Rather, that insight comes from the relative ranking of a title or series compared to others and whether anticipation converts to actual viewership.

Prior to its January debut, ‘Lupin’ was ranked in the top five among most-anticipated shows on a global basis, according to the report. That early indicator anticipation data could be used to identify content similar in nature, and distributors could even model the relationship that title and genre has to its audiences, to inform deals in the works. “… Conversion from anticipation to viewership is the industry standard for success,” the report reads. “’Lupin’s’ debut weekend insights yielded strong viewership in key global markets. In Europe, where a larger fanbase and awareness existed for the title, ‘Lupin’ became a top viewed show overnight.”

“For Korea’s ‘Squid Game’ … Whip Media’s proprietary data insights indicated that it would be a hit within days of debut and weeks before Netflix announced that it had become the most streamed show of all time on Netflix (111 million fans in 80 countries announced on 12 October 2021),” the report reads. With no previous intellectual property, zero built-in fan base, and almost no marketing, Whip Media was still able to predict the show’s success using a behavior dataset that uniquely measures the growth trajectory of a title is via tracking “followers,” or those individuals who intend to view a show. “When Whip Media tracked the Follower growth trajectory relative to other Netflix Originals hits, we identified within days that ‘Squid Game,’ in fact, was growing faster than any other series out of the gate,” the report reads.

Meanwhile, “La Casa de Papel,” also known as “Money Heist,” originally premiered on the Spanish station Antena 3 in 2017. Despite lower ratings for its second season, Netflix took on the show, and after cutting and dubbing work, premiered the series in 2018. “These examples demonstrate that there is an appetite for content that extends beyond originating territories,” the report reads. “Behavioral observations can inform the content acquisition strategy by providing early indicators on viewer engagement, thereby enabling distributors to get a head start in identifying potential breakouts or negotiating whether to pass or renew licensing agreements.”

To access the full report, click here.