The data science team at Parrot Analytics is always working on new features to analyze and present useful information from our demand data. The latest development is the identification of “breakout” titles: shows that have significantly increased in demand over the past few days.
This feature can be used to track the rise of recently-released titles or to identify unexpected activity for an obscure title, which may indicate an organic growth in popularity. Since demand is global, breakout titles can be detected in any market around the world. To introduce the types of insights that can be gained, we look at some breakout titles from August 29th to September 4th.
In the United States, three titles exhibit breakout trends for three different reasons.
From Dusk Till Dawn will begin its third season on September 6th and its demand is already increasing, indicating that the show has a following that is eager for the new episodes. Blunt Talk does not air until October, but the release of a new trailer and the first season on DVD results in a 68% increase in demand over the week. While Ink Master has a similar pattern to Blunt Talk, it aired a new episode on August 30th which has boosted its demand.
Currently-airing shows often appear on the list of breakout titles, allowing for easy comparison of their demand.
For example, Poldark, The X Factor, and Barbarians Rising all released new episodes this week. Poldark, premiering on September 4th, was clearly the most popular, with nearly 3 times more demand than the previous day. Though it aired two episodes this week on September 3rd and 4th, The X Factor only doubled its demand and had the lowest average demand of the three shows. Barbarians Rising may have had a higher base demand than The X Factor because it was released in June in the United States (and so has been available on P2P networks, active on social media, etc.), but for the same reasons its UK premiere on August 31st resulted in the smallest increase in demand.
By examining breakouts in international markets, unexpectedly popular titles may appear.
RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race, Halt and Catch Fire, and The Catch were not breakout titles in their home market of the United States, but all three have steadily increasing demand in South Korea. In particular, RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race has taken off, ending the week with more than a 400% demand increase after the second episode aired on September 1st in the US. Demand for Halt and Catch Fire also has increased significantly since its latest episode on August 30th, growing by over 130%. Though The Catch ended in May, it is trending this week in South Korea.
With breakout titles in each market on each day identified, the shows with the most interesting demand trends can be quickly filtered out and analyzed. Content providers can discover new titles that are trending in their country, while marketing teams can capitalize on interest in their titles to create effective promotions. Which show will be the next surprise hit?
