Beyond mass appeal: The untapped potential of fandom
Fans of certain musicians, movies, video games, TV shows, or sports teams–though segmented audiences–drive substantial engagement and present big opportunities for cross-platform growth.
Kevin Westcott
Jana Arbanas
Brooke Auxier
Jeff Loucks
Wenny Katzenstein
Media and entertainment (M&E) companies largely focus on dominating market share and appealing to the masses. But our data suggests that focusing on segmented, hyperengaged groups of fans could prove just as valuable. Though different fan groups—music fans, movie fans, video game fans, TV show fans, sports fans, and what we call “M&E super fans”—are segments of the broader population, these cohorts evangelize their fandoms, are willing to follow them across platforms and ventures, and often drive outsized engagement. Strategically pursuing these audiences may not always override the boon of mass appeal, but M&E companies might consider how to best leverage their own fan communities and lean into their fervor.
Maybe unsurprisingly, analysis of our 2024 Digital Media Trends data suggests surveyed consumers who consider themselves fans1 (of a music artist, movie franchise or series, TV show, video game, or sports team) are more engaged with their preferred media format than more casual consumers. Simply put: The value of these fans is high. Self-identified fans—who skew younger and are often more diverse than the average consumer—are driving the success of media experiences both online and offline. Where movie theater and live performance attendance, for example, have struggled to climb back from pandemic lows, these fan communities may be the key to driving digital and in-person ancillary entertainment experiences.2 Think of the millions of Taylor Swift fans who attended her concert in 2023, the K-pop fans booking international trips to South Korea, and the Barbie fans who dressed in pink to watch the movie in theaters.3 For fans: Build it and they will come. And then they‘ll tell their friends, too.4 M&E companies have an opportunity to deepen their relationship with these value-rich fan groups, drive chatter and hype among them, and then examine how they approach their monetization and intellectual property (IP) extension strategies. So, who are M&E fans, and how do their behaviors differ from more casual consumers?
Music fandom is salient, with about 40% of consumers surveyed saying their fandom for their favorite music artist is important to their identity (these are our “music fans”) (figure 1). Not only are these music fans more likely to pay for a streaming music service and download music from their favorite artists, but they are also more likely to follow their favorite musician in various endeavors, including following that musician on social media, buying merchandise, and listening to their podcasts. A third of music fans have taken their fandom offline, too, by attending a live music concert in the prior three months, compared with a significantly smaller share of more casual listeners. Most music fans say they primarily go to live music concerts for the experience, suggesting there’s an important social—and communal—aspect to attending such events.
Movie fandoms are also diverse communities, and around a quarter of respondents overall say fandom for their favorite movie franchise or series is important to their identity (these are our “movie fans”). These fans are theatergoers: Six-in-ten movie fans have gone to the movie theater to watch a movie in the previous three months, compared to around 40% of casual movie viewers. Beyond the theater, movie fans are more interested in attending fan conventions, visiting film locations, buying merchandise, and attending a theme park or a live, interactive experience than their more casual counterparts.
But these movie fans are interested in following their fandom in digital spaces, like video game worlds, too: More than half of movie fans wish more of their favorite movies and TV shows had video game experiences, and 60% of movie fans who are also gamers would like to see more celebrity actors featured in video games. The Harry Potter franchise can be viewed as a model for this type of cross-platform expansion that serves to engage fans both old and new—and proves the value of fandom for extending IP. Though the fictional world originated in books, it gained substantial popularity after the release of the first movie in 2001, and has since expanded to theme parks, merchandising, video games, spin-off movies, and even a Broadway show. This model has been successful in bringing in new fans, while keeping long-time fans coming back for more, decade after decade.5
Those surveyed who say their fandom for their favorite video game is important to their identity (these are our “video game fans”) are diverse and are the youngest cohort of the three—with the average fan being 33 years old. Engagement with gaming is a given for this group: They’re more likely than casual gamers to have a paid video game subscription and spend more hours playing video games per week. For these fans, their gaming fandom also provides community, socialization, and a sense of belonging—which gives it staying power beyond a passing fad: More than half say they mainly play online games to meet up with friends, and 42% say they have more friends in game worlds than in real life.
Outside of video games, however, these fans want to follow their favorite worlds with adjacent media offerings. Nearly 70% of video game fans surveyed wish their favorite video games had TV show or movie adaptations. Some studios and game publishers are already embracing fandoms in this way, like HBO and the series, The Last of Us (based off the video game of the same name) and Nintendo’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie. And despite being young and tech savvy, this group is also willing to take their fandom into the real world: Roughly one-in-five gaming fans would like to attend a fan convention, or a live, interactive experience or theme park related to their favorite video game.
We also asked consumers about their sports team and TV series fandoms, and the trend follows: People who consider these fandoms important to their identity are more likely than casual TV viewers and casual sports consumers to engage with sports or TV content.
Then, there are those we might consider “M&E super fans”—or about one-in-ten consumers surveyed—who say their fandom for their favorite music artist, sports team, TV series, movie franchise, and video game are all important to their identities (figure 2). These M&E super fans are engaged across the digital media ecosystem: They’re more likely to pay for subscription video on demand (SVOD), music, and gaming services than the average consumer, and they use multiple social media platforms, too. This narrow cohort is spending an outsized amount of their time and money with entertainment content and should be considered a prized audience. Since their consumption patterns are widespread, this group can provide insights into cross-platform engagement and content diversification. M&E companies might think about leveraging their own versions of “super fans” in various ways, such as leaning on them to support IP extensions or drive widespread buzz and hype on social media for new cross-platform content. But while these fans may seem like the ideal customer, they have more SVOD services than the average consumer, and thus, have a significantly higher churn rate for SVOD services than non-super fans. These respondents are also twice as likely to say they have “too many” entertainment subscriptions in the household. Capturing and retaining these valuable super fans means developing strategies to reduce churn, like offering “can’t miss” cross-platform experiences and attractive bundles to cut down on cost and subscription overwhelm.
Maybe M&E brands, products, services, and content don’t have to appeal to everyone. They just may need to appeal to the right groups of passionate fans. Fandom is often a lifelong journey rather than a weekend getaway. Since fandom can be deeply tied to identity, fans are likely to stick around and invest in the content and personalities they love. Brands should aim to be right there with them, nurturing the fandom, for the long haul.
Key takeaways
- M&E companies should not simply skim the surface of fan communities, but rather seek more profound engagement and understanding. Consider going beyond generalized viewership statistics to delve into forum discussions, messaging groups and other granular interactions among the most loyal followers.
- Focusing on passionate groups of fans—and M&E super fans—may pay off for media and entertainment companies who are looking to develop cross-media franchises. These committed fans are likely to have an outsized impact in terms of spend and broader hype-building.
- Developing sensing capabilities to discover burgeoning fandoms should be top-of-mind for M&E companies. Once they spot these growing fan communities, M&E companies can use engagement strategies to take advantage of these groups and learn from them as they evolve.
- M&E companies should consider the intensity of their fan bases (not just the number of viewers) when considering new investment and monetization strategies. A passionate fan base (regardless of size) might be worth more than an audience of average, casual fans.
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.
