Social media and creators drive viewers to TV shows, movies, and games

More people turn to social media to discover what’s new and exciting. Media companies should look to creators to help drive engagement with their own offerings.

Kevin Westcott

United States

Jana Arbanas

United States

Jeff Loucks

United States

Bree Matheson

United States

Media providers and social media platforms cling to an uneasy alliance. With abundant digital entertainment options, social platforms now directly compete for consumer attention, further straining this relationship. Deloitte’s 2023 edition of Digital Media Trends showed that Generation Zs and millennials are leaning into social, user-generated video content because it’s free and convenient and they can endlessly scroll through new content that is algorithmically targeted to their interests.1 Social media lives in their palms, filled with the buzzing of billions of global peers continuously riffing on popular culture. For younger Americans, a handful of services have become the default destination for social video and entertainment. It may not be surprising that Gen Zs and millennials have been cancelling streaming video on demand (SVOD) subscriptions more than older consumers (figure 1).2

Our 2024 Digital Media Trends report finds an even stronger shift in young consumers’ video preferences. Almost half (47%) of Gen Zs and a third of millennials surveyed say their favorite form of video content is social media videos and live streams. This doesn’t mean that longer-form video entertainment is fading away, but it does highlight the effectiveness of social media algorithms and the strength of content creators and influencers. Media companies—and SVOD providers, in particular—could benefit from studying how social media services drive engagement and retention.

One factor is finding content. Social media services help solve the problem of discovery that can cause people to go elsewhere for entertainment. For example, 60% of Gen Zs prefer user-generated content videos because they don’t have to spend time searching for what to watch.3 Social media services have invested in reinforcing algorithms that match users with a seemingly endless stream of relevant and personalized content, but this isn’t just another form of TV. Viewers can connect with communities of likeminded users, gaining a sense of belonging alongside their entertainment.4

In contrast, many people report difficulties and frustrations with content discovery on SVOD services. And it’s not for lack of trying: Nearly 50% of those surveyed say they spend too much time looking for streaming content to watch. Subscriber retention is critical for SVOD providers, and they should work to show their subscribers a reason to pay for the next month of service. Yet nearly half of respondents overall report they often abandon an entertainment experience because they can’t find what they’re looking for. In 2024, the top six SVOD providers alone will likely spend more than US$100 billion on content.5 Viewers can’t watch what they can’t find, so much of that investment may not be maximized.

SVOD providers, for their part, have been investing more in content recommendations systems,6 but they should also consider the importance of leveraging social media for discovery and recommendations. Creators of user-generated content often point viewers toward traditional media—as interested observers, genuine fans, and paid ambassadors. More than half (54%) of Gen Zs and millennials believe they get better recommendations for TV shows and movies from social media than from SVOD services. Around a third of consumers—and 59% of Gen Zs—surveyed often watch TV shows or movies on SVOD services after hearing about them from creators online. A similar share say they saw a movie in a theater because they kept seeing conversations about it on social media.

This may be due in part to algorithmic targeting, but it’s also likely buoyed by the buzz and virality that can sweep through social media communities. Engineering buzz is becoming more of a science, and savvy brands are learning to program for hype.7

Social media platforms may be competing for time and attention, but they also offer media and entertainment businesses valuable capabilities to promote their own offerings and drive people back to their services. Social platforms and content creators can be a critical marketing channel for streaming services and other media providers: Creators often build viewership with their fans across multiple digital services.8 They can help brands and companies access larger and more specific audiences that aggregate around creator channels, and some are even expanding into more traditional media. Some SVOD providers, for example, are now hiring leading online creators as talent for television shows and movies.9 SVOD providers aiming to attract and retain more younger subscribers should be thinking about the many ways they can collaborate with popular creators.

Media and entertainment companies should pay attention to video games to understand and leverage social media and creators. Gaming creators and the services they use can help to drive discovery and purchases. Sixty-three percent of Gen Z gamers surveyed find out about new games from live-streamers and content creators on social media, and 56% report they’re more likely to trust a video game publisher if their favorite gaming content creator has promoted a game by that publisher (figure 2).

Gaming creators and live streamers can help brands and companies better understand gamer demographics and the nuances of modern video games. Accessing and engaging these demographics may be different from other media, but media and entertainment companies should not dismiss them: Fifty-seven percent of Gen Z and millennial gamer respondents discover new music in video games; nearly half don’t mind seeing branded content in live service games, and more than half wish more of their favorite games had movie and TV show adaptations. Live streaming services, social video game services, and story-driven adventure games can all be considered part of the broader social media landscape.

Social media has become a digital “connective tissue” between people, brands, and media. It supports fandoms and communities of interest and can drive demand across other forms of media and entertainment. Media and entertainment companies can embrace social media—especially the content creators that foster discovery and trust—to help drive audiences to their own offerings. SVOD providers could evolve their services to better enhance personalization, nurture collaborations with creators and social media platforms, and prioritize compelling social video campaigns.

To better capitalize on creators’ ability to guide people toward other media experiences, media and entertainment organizations can work to develop strong relationships with creators and their audiences. Creators can help them nurture existing fan bases, build new ones, and direct fans to their shows, movies, and games.

Key takeaways

  • Social platforms: Social platforms are growing competitors to TV and movies with creators working as entertainment “talent.” Platforms should continue to build deep relationships with creators to help retain their creators in the long term.  Platforms can also look beyond competition to work with studios to support the cross-promotion of content through creator collaborations and integrated ad campaigns.
  • Content creators: One way content creators can grow their businesses on social platforms is by collaborating with media and entertainment companies. They can engage in partnerships for promoting new content and may have increasingly more options to work as talent in traditional media.
  • Streaming services: Streaming services should look to the engagement models of social media services to improve their own content delivery strategies, making a more concerted effort to leverage user data and AI technologies to target content toward individual viewers. Such investments can be a direct line to improve subscriber retention, for example. Streaming providers should also build relationships with creators to generate buzz, build audiences, and potentially source talent. This might require a patient, multiplatform strategy since profitable fandoms can be small. These efforts have the potential to pay off with stronger audience engagement, improved content discovery, and more fans.
  • Gaming companies: Creators have long been a channel for promoting gaming titles and generating new fans. Gaming companies are well-positioned to pioneer the way forward by working to understand the nuances of video games and the creators that share and support gaming communities. 

Methodology

These insights are based on an online survey of 3,517 US consumers that was conducted in October 2023. Throughout this report, we reference generations. Our generational definitions are as follows: Generation Z (1997-2010), millennial (1983-1996), Generation X (1966-1982), boomers (1947-1965), and matures (1946 and prior). The survey was fielded by an independent research firm and all data is weighted back to the most recent Census to give a representative view of US consumers.

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By

Kevin Westcott

United States

Jana Arbanas

United States

Jeff Loucks

United States

Bree Matheson

United States

Endnotes

  1. Kevin Westcott, Jeff Locuks, and Jana Arbanas, “2023 Digital media trends: Immersed and connected,” Deloitte Insights, April 14,2023.

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  2. Ibid. 

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  3. Ibid.

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  4. Monika Ilieva, “Building a community on social media,” Forbes, December 9, 2022.

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  5. Insider Intelligence, “Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) content spending worldwide by company, 2020 & 2024,” figure, accessed February 2023. 

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  6. Raviteja Dodda, “Driving growth for media streaming apps: Personalization is the way,” Forbes, April 20, 2022.

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  7. Ellie Calnan, “How social media influencers are transforming film marketing: “They reach audiences that traditional publications just don’t”,” Screen Daily, November 2, 2023. 

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  8. Bree Matheson and Connor Seidenschwarz, Creator economy in 3D: The platform’s place in a shifting media landscape,” Deloitte, accessed March 2024.

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  9. Cameron Frew, “MrBeast closing historic $100m deal for first streaming TV show,” Dexerto, January 22, 2024.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Akash Rawat for his work in analyzing survey data and highlighting insights, as well as his contributions to shaping the direction of the overall study. They would also like to thank Sathiya S. and Ankit Dhameja for their contributions to survey development and secondary research support, and Gautham Dutt for his design and visualization support. The authors would like to recognize Andy Bayiates and Molly Piersol for their partnership, along with their editorial and design contributions. The authors also want to sincerely thank Kevin Downs and Amy Booth for their support and guidance throughout the process.

Data science and survey advisory by: David Levin

Cover image by: Manya Kuzemchenko