The Old is the new Demographic

The times are changing and the way entertainment is delivered to the customer is also changing. Gone are the days of Blockbuster when people would go to stores to rent out movies to watch at home or go to theatres to watch a new movie they were eagerly waiting for. The advent of the internet has carved open new paths and areas to explore and exploit for the brave and venturing into the unknown is what has created this age of information.

With the convenience that internet provides, everything is just a click away for the average consumer and companies are perfecting this system of instant service and ensuring that the customer can get everything he wants on demand. Less than 10 years ago, it was the norm to wait for the next episode till the next week or the next day to find out what happens next in your favourite television show. The creators of the shows left massive cliff-hangers at the end of each episode to keep the audience curious about ‘what happens next’.

With streaming services now making their way into the entertainment industry, the amount of content that one can watch has grown exponentially. Different streaming services produce or buy the rights to a lot of shows to cater to their customers and this leads to the issue of having too many options. One way to resolve this is by providing all the episodes of a series at once to your consumers, thus ensuring that the consumer will then move on to the next content and similarly the cycle will continue. The more interesting a series is the less people want to wait to find out what happens next. Some services like Netflix make the whole series available at the same time while others like HBO prefer keeping the big hitters like Game of Thrones on a tight schedule to let the hype increase and garner more and more viewers.

The Binge Watch Theory

Binge watching is a modern phenomenon that is often associated with young people for they are supposed to be least patient and wanting to complete a series as soon as possible to move on to the next one. This has been proved wrong time and again as people regardless of what age they are will binge watch shows they find interesting and invested in. People of all ages binge watch TV shows and all that matters is the availability of quality content.

The biggest requirement to binge watch entire shows is the availability of free time and who has more free time than people above 60 who have retired and have ample amount of time on their hands. Older people are an untouched demographic with huge market potential, something the streaming companies have failed to grasp. They target younger or adult audiences but the older people are left with next to zero options when it comes to shows produced to pique their interests.

Back to the Past

It is imperative that these companies understand the needs of this untapped market and provide content to cater to the same. By providing quality content that appeals to this demographic, the streaming services are set to gain a huge increase in the number of customers. The dialogues must be clear and content must be gripping. The description of the shows must be such as to generate interest at first glance. Quality content for the targeted audience which caters to their needs and demands is the key to success in the cutthroat competition to be present in most number of homes.