From Launch to Longevity
Selecting the right platforms and strategic release windows can dramatically elevate success and revenue potential. Well-timed rollouts ensure that each title meets audience demand at its peak - whether for an initial launch, ongoing renewal deal, or expansion into new territories.
Using granular data on existing catalog performance helps pinpoint which shows or films are poised for lucrative licensing renewals and uncover underexploited regions eager for fresh or previously unserved content.
The smartest teams use data to release and renew where demand is growing – not just where it’s obvious.
Key Questions Industry Leaders Are Asking:
- Which underexploited markets offer untapped revenue potential or growing demand for existing content?
- Which platforms and territories promise the highest incremental revenue or subscriber lift for a given title?
- When is the optimal release window to capture peak audience interest and outpace competing content?
- How can we determine the most advantageous licensing terms or renewal deals based on current catalog performance and audience trends?
- What metrics indicate whether to prioritize exclusivity versus wider distribution across multiple platforms?
Industry Spotlight: When the Numbers Talk: Using Streaming Economics to Reshape a Renewal Deal
A production company behind a successful long-running comedy series faced a renewal offer from its distributor that undervalued the show’s global performance - particularly in high-growth international markets. To strengthen their position, the team used detailed streaming economics data to highlight regional and episode-level demand. This helped them renegotiate improved deals with international subsidiaries, significantly increasing ROI.
Challenge: The original offer overlooked the show’s surging streaming popularity and rising overseas viewership. To establish fair market value, the company needed neutral, in-depth analytics to support their case across finance, legal, and strategy teams in multiple territories.
Insight: A commissioned valuation report assessed global audience demand—measuring streaming consumption, search activity, and social media engagement—and linked it to subscription revenue across key regions. The analysis projected the show could generate over $5.5 million per episode across a five-year period, highlighting its strong contribution to both domestic and international platforms.
The report also identified long-tail revenue potential from the show’s 270+ legacy episodes, which continue to reduce churn and maintain high engagement. Competitive benchmarking revealed that if licensed to a global competitor, the show would likely command even greater value, reinforcing its “must-have” status and strengthening the producers’ negotiating position.
The production company turned a single, low renewal offer into multiple territory-specific deals, significantly increasing total contract value—backed by data proving the show’s global impact on subscriber growth and retention.
The valuation report showed that the next 5 seasons of the series will add $829 million dollars in global revenue to the streaming platform, which will lift the contribution of the franchise from $915M to $1.7B.
Because of its outstanding longevity and freshness, the show generates 38% of its total revenue contribution from extension rights, versus 62% from first transmission.
Interested in learning more? Download the full report here or contact our team.
>> Read Part 5: The New Economics of Content Strategy - The Science of Standing Out
