Parrot Analytics SVOD platform trend reports reveal which SVOD’s digital original series are appealing most to audiences in a market during these three months, dive deeper into how this looks for the dynamic action and adventure genre and shed light on the overall size of digital original series within the entire market.
The key questions investigated in this report:
- Are audiences in the Baltic States demanding more linear or more digital content?
- Which SVOD’s original series are demanded most by audiences in the Baltic States and how is this evolving?
- In the Action and Adventure genre, which SVOD’s original series are demanded most by audiences in the Baltic States and how is this evolving?
Are audiences in the Baltic States demanding more linear or digital content?
• Across the three markets that comprise the Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - 21.0% of all demand is expressed for a digital original series. For the same December 2020 to February 2021 period, 79.0% of audience demand is expressed for shows originating from linear networks.
• 21.0% is +2.3% more than the global demand share for digital originals of 18.7%. This indicates that digital originals have higher than normal penetration in the Baltics. A possible reason for this is the region’s globally high rate of high-speed mobile internet access.
• The 21.0% demand share for digital originals is nearly double their 11.0% share by number of titles in this market. This means digital series heavily overperform on a per-unit basis and have a much higher average demand than linear titles.
Which SVOD’s original series are most in-demand by audiences in the Baltic States?
• Over the three months analyzed, original series from Netflix have the highest demand share in the Baltics with a share of 57.7%. Netflix’s original content is highly demanded in this region, this share is +7.6% higher than the global average of 50.1%. The most in-demand Netflix original for this period is The Crown.
• In the Baltics, the five platforms with the highest share for their originals is the same as the global top five. Notably, demand for Amazon Prime Video originals is higher here, +3.3% more than the global average. This is led by demand for sci-fi series The Expanse.
• Smaller and/or regional streaming platforms are not making much impact on Baltic audiences. Worldwide, 21.7% of demand is for originals from these other platforms yet here their demand share is only 10.9%.
The next chart shows how the demand shares for these five platforms have evolved over the past 12 months:
• Over the past 12 months, the demand shares for these digital original series have been relatively stable in the Baltics.
• The launch of multiple new platforms globally, such as HBO Max, had some effect on the share for other platforms. The demand share for these series grew in the second half of 2020, peaking at 13.2% of demand in August 2020.
• Over the 12 months, the share for Hulu original series has mostly been declining. In February 2021, the demand share for Hulu (5.8%) was overtaken by the demand share for Disney+ (6.3%). Interestingly, this does not significantly affect the ultimate market breakdown as Hulu is majority owned by Disney.
Which SVOD’s Action and Adventure original series are demanded most by audiences in the Baltic States?
• The high demand for Netflix original series in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania continues in the action and adventure genre. 39.5% of demand for action and adventure originals in the region is for a Netflix title, +8.4% more than the worldwide demand share of 31.1%.
• The trend of having a higher share than the global average also continues for Amazon Prime Video originals. With a 21.2% demand share in the genre, the platform’s share is close to the share for Disney+ in the region.
• This comes at the expense of HBO Max originals, which have a smaller demand share than the global average. This may be due to low awareness of these titles in this region, as unlike other European markets HBO will not have a streaming presence here until HBO Max launches in late 2021.
The next chart shows how the action and adventure demand shares for these five platforms have evolved over the past 12 months:
• The most obvious trend on this chart is the global arrival of HBO Max action and adventure series in May 2020. As noted, the effect of this in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was smaller than in most other markets. Superhero series Doom Patrol is the most in-demand HBO Max action and adventure title.
• The demand share for Disney+ grows strongly in 2021, accounting for 29.8% of the genre’s demand in February 2021. This trend is mainly driven by two titles, Wandavision and The Mandalorian.
• Netflix has a remarkable tentpole series in this genre in The Umbrella Academy. However, since Season 2 of that show released in August 2020 they have not followed this up with a comparable success. As a result, the Netflix action and adventure demand share has been slowly declining in the Baltic States.
This report is intended as a high-level overview of the SVOD market in this country. To access more granular platform demand trends for specific platforms, genres, timeframes and more, contact your Parrot Analytics representative.