March 20, 2025
Nowruz Mubarak - Happy Nowruz
A few days ago, Tubi released a big report on streaming audiences, and it’s pretty interesting. You can read Sub-Genre’s Gabriel Schillinger-Hymans’s five take-aways on it below, or read the full report here (this links˚ to a site where you have to give your email for the full report). The report has fascinating data on what audiences think about streaming – especially Gen Z and younger audiences, and is a must-read for anyone thinking about the state of the business today. But what I found most interesting was not the report itself, but the data on the press release page itself, which hints at the diversity of that audience, and I think it tells us a lot about the true state of the US, when you think about the fact that Tubi is owned by Fox. But regardless of that, the report tells us that there’s a huge, under-served, diverse audience that wants something different, that looks more like them, reflects their actual values, and while Tubi is serving that audience, very few others are doing that now – which is a market opportunity.
Tubi is growing like mad – they’ve surpassed 97 million monthly active users, and those users are very diverse. As they state: "Over thirty-four percent of Tubi viewers are between the ages of 18-34, over half are Gen Z or Millennials and nearly half are multicultural." Back in 2023, Tubi reported that with a less coded word, but you get the point. In addition, that diverse, young audience wants to see more film/TV that looks like themselves, as the report states: “72% say they're interested in seeing diversity and representation of different identities when they stream TV and movies.” Tell that to the anti-DEI crusaders. In a sense, Tubi is the canary in the white-power coal-mine – located right in the heart of it over at Fox. As we all know (I hope), all this commotion is just a (very powerful) backlash to the reality of the moment. The world has changed, and is changing fast, which scares a bunch of folks, but smarter ones should be seeing a golden opportunity to make things this audience wants to see, and the best way to do that is to open up the opportunity to tell these stories to a wider group of creators that look more like this same audience. Duh.
And good news, indies, “In general, viewers want to see more TV shows and movies that are independent or from smaller creators (70%, +4% YoY).” In addition, as I keep writing in this newsletter, they also want more participation, with 72% say they wish they had more of a say in the type of content that gets made for streaming services.” Which Tubi facilitates via their Stubios program, but the indie film world somehow skips this trend in nearly everything we do. We let people vote on their favorite completed film via an Audience Award at every film fest, or ask a quick question at the post-screening Q&A, but that’s about the extent of our participatory culture in indie film land – to our detriment.
Read through the rest of their report – or again, Gabriel’s summary below – and you’ll find some other great tid-bits on what they audience of today looks like, and what they want to see. They want more, better stuff to watch. They want better ways to find it -both old and new things. They want more diversity, not less. They want to talk about it with their friends, and they want to have some input into what gets made, and what gets streamed. There’s a lot of negativity about the current state of the market, but smart filmmakers, brands, distributors, and entrepreneurs in this space should see a lot of market opportunities in this report.
|
|
Film
Gen Z Streaming TV Habits Revealed: Just a couple days ago Tubi released “The Stream 2025: Audience Insights Shaping Streaming,” a survey conducted by The Harris Poll in the US from October 21 — November 1, 2024, among 2,502 18+ adults that stream video at least 1 hour a week. Here’re 5 findings that really caught my eye: (1) “Half of Gen Z viewers confessed to streaming while working from home, with nearly 48% admitting to lying to their bosses about it”; (2) “the majority (80%) of viewers [say] they would rather spend their time watching a TV show or movie than scrolling on social media”; (3) “(81%) of Gen Z consumers said they’d consider taking action after seeing interesting ads while streaming”; (4) “70% of consumers saying they want to see more programming on streaming platforms that are independent or from smaller creators”; (5) 73% of Gen Z consumers say they prefer to watch original content over franchises and remakes. Seventy-two percent of Gen Z viewers said they also wish they had more of a say in the type of content that gets made for streaming services.” For more details, head on over to Saleah Blancaflor’s article for Adweek. (GSH)
The Nonfiction Hotlist: Just about a week ago, the long-awaited "The Nonfiction Hotlist" launched and unveiled the inaugural list featuring 23 exceptional unproduced documentaries, series, and podcast projects that represent a snapshot of incredible projects in today's nonfiction landscape. The Nonfiction Hotlist is a list of super-cool projects that need funding - selected from over 639 submissions - and is the place where anyone looking for the most exciting new projects should be looking. "We're not fixing an entire industry – we're one hopeful voice standing up to say algorithms don't predict magic," said Adam Neuhaus, the industry veteran producer whose LinkedIn post about market challenges sparked this initiative. "The next genre-defining project might be sitting in a pitch deck right now, passed on by platforms but still burning to be made." From his LinkedIn Post, a group of volunteers came together to put this awesome project together. Check it out and download the list here. (Links to PDF, BN)
Audiences Still Like Going To Theaters But Want More Comedies & Thrillers: The Global Cinema Foundation polled over 68,000 respondents in 15 markets around the world on their feelings about moviegoing. Key findings are as follows: (1) 72% agree that going to a movie in a theater is a good value for the money; (2) “55% said they wanted more action/adventure movies”; (3) “51% of moviegoers said they wanted to see more humorous fare in theaters, while 46% wanted more suspense/thriller movies”; (4) “Audiences over 45 were the most dissatisfied with the number of compelling films in theaters [whereas] 83% of younger customers under 34 are excited by the upcoming slate”; (5) Perhaps most surprising to me is that “64% of customers don’t see any barriers to visiting cinemas… [and] only 6% prefer to wait and watch on streaming.” This last finding should provide us with some hope for the future of cinema, especially as streaming during and post-pandemic became the new norm. Pat Saperstein at Variety has the news. (GSH)
The Semi-Finalists Announced for New Documentary Award: The Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy announced a new award for documentary films — The Henry Awards for Public Interest Documentary — and its first list of 15 semi-finalists who hail from all around the world. Starting with the 2025 Henry Awards, a grand prize of $100,000 will be awarded annually, along with four finalists who will also receive cash prizes. Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs states, “We are living through historic shifts in where, how, and from whom people get the information that shapes their understanding of the world…. At such a moment, when ‘truth’ is often reduced to a cage match between fact and faith, documentary film serves as a vital witness to the public interest. The Henry Awards aim to elevate and celebrate films that play a critical role in an information ecosystem that serves as a foundation for a free society.” You can find the Henry Awards eligibility criteria here. (GSH)
Fundraiser for “Stann & Gloria”: Acclaimed writer/director Penny Allen and cinematographer Eric Edwards have wrapped production on their brand new feature film Stann & Gloria. With your help, their goal of raising $35,000 will allow them to complete necessary financing for post production, and share their remarkable story with the world. Penny is also the creator behind Paydirt (1981) , The Soldier’s Tale (2007) and Late for My Mother’s Funeral (2013), and DOP Eric Edwards has been the cinematographer on more than 65 movies, including Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho (1991)- in which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Donors that contribute up to a certain monetary amount will get a screen credit in the final cut of the film as follows: Associate Producer: $500 - $1,500; Co Producer: $2,000 - $3,500; Executive producer: $4,000 or more. You can learn more about the film and consider donating at their gofundme. (GSH)
 Are AI Films Getting Better And Do They Feel Human (Enough)?: You decide — check out Charlie Fink’s piece for Forbes to watch 6 short films made with AI. One of the shorts I thought felt the most “human” was Gennie Studio’s historical recreation of the final hours of Pomeii. On August 24-25, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted with catastrophic force, burying the city and its inhabitants under a thick blanket of ash, pumice, and volcanic debris. You can find the film at Forbes link or watch it on YouTube. Another AI short, “Critterz”, made in 2023 with Dall-E 2, was remade with Sora and I think it’s pretty incredible how sophisticated the new tech is in comparison. (GSH)
|
|
Branded Content
It’s Early Days For Brands and Substack: Social Media consultant Rachel Karten writes an interesting piece about a new potential home for brands, and with it, a new way they can relate to fans. Recently, brands have been creating Substack accounts and sending out newsletters under their own names, though Karten notes what they’ve been doing is much more than traditional email marketing. In fact, the platform makes it clear that “Substack is intended for high quality editorial content, not conventional email marketing. We don’t permit publications whose primary purpose is to advertise external products or services, drive traffic to third party sites… or similar activities.” One brand that has been able to take advantage of the substack community is American luxury lifestyle brand Tory Burch. Their creative team, including former fashion magazine editors and art directors, runs the WSIW (What Should I Wear) substack. Designer and founder Tory Burch states, “storytelling has always been incredibly important to me, and the way people consume this content has changed. We were drawn to Substack for its authenticity, creativity, and sense of community…. WSIW is purely editorial and retains the lo-fi spirit of our original blog.” For brands considering starting a substack, here’s some advice Karten and other experts give: (1) “Starting a Substack as a brand is a great idea if you have the internal talent, the budget to keep it up, and the patience to see an ROI years down the line (Erika Veurink, Consultant); (2) “A brand will need to be 100% committed to this workstream. It can't be an afterthought (Byron Stewart, marketer)”; (3) Visualize your audience first [and] build something that goes beyond your brand and taps into a universal truth or passion”; (4) “Consider building a persona for the writer…. Can your brand provide deep insights or interesting curation?” (5) “Ask yourself, would I read this? Then ask yourself again.” Karten also notes that as brands join substack, the platform will likely explore new features like subscriber chats, live videos, comment sections, and more. (GSH)
|
|
|
Miscellany:
Meet ICE’s New Surveillance Contractor, ShadowDragon: ICE uses a variety of tech tools to accomplish massive amounts of surveillance to help it hunt down undocumented immigrants, but recently, it’s been leaked that a contractor called ShadowDragon pulls data from 200 sites that allows them and their government clients to map out a person’s activity, movements, and relationships. In case you’re interested, here’s that list of sites (surprise, it’s all of the sites, ranging from major social media sites to smaller ones like TruthSocial to house-hunting to porn to bodybuilding to car sites…etc). As journalist Joseph Cox reports, it’s not just undocumented residents that might be subjected to this form of surveillance: ShadowDragon’s leaked marketing materials point out it can be used to “monitor protests” and suggests it has already been used for this purpose during Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, DC in 2023 (we’re unsure if that was with or without government directive). Tim Cushing for TechDirt writes, “beyond the obvious chilling effect this creates, as well as the shaky legal ground underpinning bulk harvesting of data and communications, there’s the potential this has to generate false positives that ICE officers will treat as all the justification they need to arrest, detain, and eject people who are actually in this country legally…. On top of that, ShadowDragon’s tool is pretty much just a web scraper that violates the terms of use of pretty much every site/service it harvests data from. The ends can’t justify the means.” Give Cushing’s article a read for the details. (GSH)
GSH = Articles written by Sub-Genre's Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman, not Brian Newman (BN)
|
|
|
Like This Newsletter? Subscribe & Past Issues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
